HEALTH BY STUNTS 



THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

NEW YORK • BOSTON • CHICAGO • DALLAS 
ATLANTA • SAN FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN & CO., Limited 

LONDON • BOMBAY • CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd. 

TORONTO 



HEALTH BY STUNTS 



BY 

Captain N. H. PEARL, U.S. Army 

ATHLETIC OFFICER, THIRTY-SECOND DIVISION, A.E.F. 

FORMERLY ASSISTANT SUPERVISOR OF PHYSICAL 

EDUCATION, DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

ASSISTED BY 

Captain H. E. BROWN, U.S. Army 

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, WAR DEPARTMENT COMMISSION 

ON TRAINING CAMP ACTIVITIES 

FORMERLY ASSISTANT SUPERVISOR OF PHYSICAL 

EDUCATION, DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS 



Nein gotit 

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
1919 

All rights reserved 




Copyright, 1919, 
By the MACMILLAN COMPANYo 



Set up and electrotyped. Published September, 1919. 



©CI.A53507i 



WortoooU Pregg 

J. S. Gushing Co. — Berwick & Smith Co. 

Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. 



FOREWORD 

In 1914 the writer began an investigation in the 
Detroit PubHc Schools with the idea of conducting 
such athletics as boys would like, that could be done 
under existing conditions, and that would develop the 
boys. This investigation, which has been continued, 
has proved conclusively that the play of boys and girls 
has been on the decline. 

Boys had no record of what they could accomplish. 
The old stunts and contests were not only not partici- 
pated in, but were almost entirely forgotten. Boys 
were spending from one to three hours a day, sometimes 
seven days in a week, at picture shows or in other pas- 
sive entertainment. They were not taking part in any- 
thing athletic. The number of records taken to measure 
the athletic ability of boys in Detroit has reached far 
past the million mark, and many interesting conclu- 
sions have been reached. 

Modern conditions have not only made boys inactive, 
but have made people of all ages inactive. Under 
such conditions chronic disease is rapidly on the in- 
crease. Statistics in the United States Government 
reports, insurance companies, and the investigations of 
the Life Extension Institute of New York have shown 
this conclusively. 



vi FOREWORD 

The play impulse will continue to exist, though it 
must have greater 'opportunity of expression or the 
results will be very detrimental to the race as a 
whole. Beginning with the play impulse the boy must 
have somebody to play with, a place to play, and know 
something to play. If the boy has the impulse and 
knows something to play, he will make a strenuous 
effort to find companions or things and a place to play. 
It is necessary to make every boy bathe, clean his 
teeth, and leave his window up at night. Eventually an 
impulse is created within the boy which prompts him 
to do these things for himself. This is the point where 
"physical training leaves off and physical education begins. 
This is not habit. There is actually an impulse that 
prompts individuals to keep clean and .get fresh air 
even under adverse conditions. 

Similarly play impulse must be developed to such an 
extent that it will prompt not only the boy but the 
adult to play practically every day of his life. If 
play cannot be had, this impulse must prompt the 
individual to other exercise, which partly takes the place 
of play. For exercise the following things must be 
accomplished ; how they are done is only secondary. 
The heart should heat at high speed for several minutes 
every day, and the digestive system should he turned 
wrong side up and severely shaken up. Whether this 
is to take place every day and what the duration of this 



FOREWORD vil 

strenuous exercise is to be, are questions which each in- 
dividual must answer for himself. The time and amount 
will vary with the age of the individual. It may be five 
minutes or it may be twenty minutes a day, and it may 
be every day or every few days. Riding, playing golf, 
walking and such do not give the necessary exercise. 

Other important things are these : good posture 
should be maintained. If work makes this impossible, 
then over-corrections should be made often during 
work. The body must be kept pliable. It must 
continue to retain wide range of movement of youth, 
with ease. The chest must retain elasticity. The 
ligamentary hang should be practiced in hanging by 
the hands and also by the knees. Good physical condi- 
tion is dependent on retaining the elasticity of youth 
throughout the body. 

There is a powerful impulse impelling our civilization 
onward and upward. It is a great pent-up force push- 
ing forward our race. It began with man ; it will end 
with eternity. It is our individual and national power. 
It compels the individual and the nation to advance 
rapidly in some ways. Various influences act in direct- 
ing this advance. We seem to be retarded, to slip back- 
ward in some phases of life at times, as individuals and 
nations, but always there is a great force behind push- 
ing us somewhere, and we must direct this forward and 
upward in all problems of life. 



viii FOREWORD 

This great power may be first expressed in one or a 
few who direct the rest of us. It made us believe that 
the earth was round; discover America, find out the 
power of steam, fly in the air, swim under the sea, 
talk around the world. It urges us toward a cleaner 
cleanliness, a truer godliness, and a bigger social con- 
sciousness; to a broader democracy, and a greater 
patriotism. Let us direct one branch of this mighty 
force for all in searching for the Fountain of Youth, 
which can be found in following the right simple rules 
which lead to good health. Let each individual assume 
the responsibility for his or her own good health. It 
is easily attained and retained. 

I wish to make special acknowledgment to Mr. H. E. 
Brown, who has revised the manuscript and assisted 
in every detail of its organization ; to Miss Ethel 
Perrin, Supervisor of Physical Education, for her 
assistance and cooperation in every phase of the work ; 
to Mr. L. M. Post, who has pulled with me many times 
on our team of two ; to other members of the depart- 
ment who have assisted enthusiastically with the boys^ 
work; and to Dr. C. E. Chadsey, former Superin- 
tendent of Schools, who has been the earnest sup- 
porter of physical education. 

N. H. Pearl 

Capt. U.S. Army 



INTRODUCTION 

One of the results of the Great War has been a sharp 
criticism of the work of the pubhc schools of the United 
States. In the early days of the selective draft, it 
was found that many young men were rejected for 
physical disabilities and deficiencies, many of which 
were unnecessary and could easily have been over- 
come or would never have been developed if a more 
intelligent system of physical education had been in 
general use in our schools. These criticisms were so 
sharp that already a marked effect on public school 
practice is being noticed. These modifications are 
in the direction of more liberal time allotments for 
physical education work and a recognition of the value 
of many forms of physical exercises at one time com- 
mon in the life of the boy, but of late years, particu- 
larly in our more congested centers of population, 
neglected and to a large extent lost. 

This volume is an effort on the part of two physical 
directors, who have had unusual opportunity for ob- 
servation and experimental work with boys in the 
upper elementary grades and in the high school grades, 
to give to the public in convenient form plans to 
develop an interest in our boys in these activities 



X INTRODUCTION 

which have so often been neglected. It is also their 
hope that this book may reach the attention of many 
who as individuals; although in other activities, may 
profit by the instructions and directions. 

It is often stated that the home ties under modern 
social conditions are being somewhat loosened through 
the failure of the father to get into intimate, confi- 
dential association with his boys. The great interest 
which all boys possess in stunts of various kinds makes 
it possible to overcome this tendency through par- 
ticipation in or direction of many of these activities. 

In Detroit where these directors have been ac- 
tively at work; it has been noted that in many cases 
the parents have developed an interest in these ac- 
tivities through the work of the boys in various public 
demonstrations. At the beginning of this work, the 
absolute lack of knowledge on the part of the boys of 
many of the most elementary stunts was startling, es- 
pecially when it was noted that nearly all of these 
exercises were those which had been commonly prac- 
ticed by the parents of these boys. 

If this volume results in a nation-wide renewal of 
interest in these fundamental stunts and contests, the 
purpose of the authors will have been accomplished. 

C. E. Chadsey, 

Superintendent Chicago Schools 
formerly Superintendent Detroit Schools 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction by C. E. Chadsey ix 

CHAPTER 

I. The Great War as an Impetus ... 1 

II. Existing Physical Conditions .... 9 

III. Organization .26 

IV. Athletic Events that can be Timed or 

Measured 51 

V. Stunts Individual and Combination . . 88 

VI. Contests 141 

VII. The Decathlon Contest . . . . . 155 

VIII. The Major Sports of the Elementary School 170 

IX. Stunts Adapted for Girls . . . = 182 



XI 



HEALTH BY STUNTS 

CHAPTER I 
THE GREAT WAR AS AN IMPETUS 

liNCE history began war has caused men to tighten 
their girthS; throw off the mantle of ease and sloth, 
renounce excesses, and steel themselves to hardships. 
War has halted in full tide the chronic habits of in- 
difference and lazy acceptance of things as they are. 
A fighting nation is a nation lifted out of itself, raised 
above its petty faults. War is like a dash of cold 
water in the face, waking a nation to a realization of 
its assets and shortcomings. A people at war can no 
longer continue to drift sluggishly toward a vague, 
indefinite goal. The current of life becomes suddenly 
transformed into a steady, swift, purposeful movement, 
guided and propelled by a high enthusiasm that puts 
to shame any who are not at first caught up by it. 
This high enthusiasm makes weak men take stock of 
themselves and strong men glory in their strength. 

Under the stress of war vast numbers of perplexing, 
irritating problems that have • embroiled thousands 
in endless, futile discussions become suddenly clear or 

B 1 




Human Arch (p. 133) 



Human Arch (p. 133) 



THE GREAT WAR AS AN IMPETUS 3 

are swept away altogether. Everything is subjected to 
the one inexorable win-the-war test. It is wonderfully 
refreshing to a nation, even though it is crude and im- 
perfect, to have one simple test to apply to all things. 
If it won't help win the war, there's an end ta it I 

And when peace has come again, the high enthu- 
siasm may die down, but a nation with its eyes even 
momentarily forced open cannot ignore what it saw 
nor soon forget the conclusions it drew. The tightened 
girth, the cleared eye, the hardened tissue, once at- 
tained, are too pleasing to be released without a 
struggle. The ease of forming judgments by one 
simple, applicable rule will be for a time difficult to 
give up. 

In the field of physical education an advance that 
would have taken its broadest-minded advocates years 
to bring about, the conflict just terminated in Europe 
has accomplished in hardly more than one. The 
tremendous practical benefit of a nation physically 
prepared for any emergency has been vividly demon- 
strated. It is no longer necessary to explain pains- 
takingly the need for physical fitness to the masses. 
We have an unanswerable reason at hand — ^Ho win 
wars our men must be physically sound." It is some- 
thing which everyone understands, beyond which 
nothing need be said. There are more important 
reasons why the people must be physically fit, but it 



4 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

has required the Great War to convince our nation 
of this necessity. As a result we exerted great energy 
on our fighting forces and made great plans which 
should be extended to the masses in peace times. 

One of the most unpardonable sins of the average 
brand of physical training has been its apparent failure 
to sift down to its irreducible minimum the objective 
of its work. Too often appearances seem to indicate 
that the main object was to master a set of more or 
less difficult exercises merely for the sake of the exer- 
cises, or to develop certain unessential uniformities : 
before being sure of fundamentals. If there was no 
agreement as to the chief objective before the war, the 
excuse for that is now past. In the enthusiasm and 
stimulation of the conflict there could have been no 
dissenting voice had such an objective been stated. 
Opportunity for coalition should not be allowed to 
slip by now that the fire of battle has died down. If 
all are in agreement on this one fundamental premise, 
— that first of all we should bend our energies to de- 
velop men who will be efficient citizens and effective 
patriots, — then the fogs of dispute may melt away 
and a new constructive program combining all the 
virtues of the past be possible. 

First we must determine the essential physical char- 
acteristics of the men we are striving for, not all the 
multitudinous attributes which will aid them in this 



THE GREAT WAR AS AN IMPETUS 5 

fulfillment, but merely the essential physical char- 
acteristics that they must have, and see to it that 
a large proportion of our men develop these. Then, 
and not until then, can we with a clear conscience 
branch out into special fields of development. 

It remains then to determine what we are to con- 
sider the minimum essentials with which physical 
education has to deal. In the first place, the body 
, must be in a given mechanical condition which may 
be determined within limits by knowing what the sort 
of man we are striving for will be called upon to do 
physically to maintain good health. Prescribed tests 
may then be applied periodically. Just as a locomo- 
tive's parts must be tested to see if they can stand 
the new strain to which they will be subjected, so the 
muscles, vital organs, and nerves should conform to the 
standard of performance at all times, set in relation 
to the necessary activities of the individual. 

Besides a given standard of mechanical condition, 
there are essentials of mental and moral worth which 
can be influenced by physical education. The boy or 
man we turn out must have an Impelling Impulse 
toward developing : 

I. Poise and control. 
11. Confidence and initiative. 

III. Capacity and ability. 

IV. Social consciousness. 



6 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

After that he may become an athlete^ an expert on 
the gymnasium apparatus, a wizard at Indian club 
manipulations, a past master of form in the execution 
of prescribed movements, or carry his physical edu- 
cation to whatever limits he may desire, but first let 
him be prepared for good citizenship. 

It is the authors' contention that the tests for grow- 
ing boys, to determine whether or not they are up to 
these minimum standards mentioned, should be natural 
tests that boys will apply instinctively without urging 
or directing. It is fast becoming an accepted doc- 
trine that we should make use of the fundamental 
instincts of human beings ; i e. it is generally believed 
that we get better results by encouraging running, 
wrestling, throwing, and striking than by teaching 
dumb-bell and wand drills. 

We do not have to search far for the natural measures 
of ability. A glance backward into the lives of the 
boys who grew up with our country and whose im- 
pulses led them to the natural tests of strength and 
general ability will open up a vast, rich field of physical 
activities. 

It seems evident, from a brief survey of pre-war 
conditions, that we were hardly in a position to argue 
the finer points of physical education. We had not 
even approximated the standards for efficient citizen- 
ship. A close study of the play conditions of one of 



THE GREAT WAR AS AN IMPETUS 7 

our largest cities (Detroit), coupled with a considera- 
tion of the report of rapid increase in chronic diseases, 
made it apparent to the authors that a radical change 
of some sort was fast becoming essential to the health 
and strength of the nation. Investigation in Detroit 
led us to believe as stated in Chapter II that with- 
out a systematized and organized effort to perpetuate 
them, active games, sports, and contests would be- 
come obsolete in five years in any large community. 

Reasons for the existing conditions were easily dis- 
cernible but none the less alarming. 

The following chapter covers in detail these con- 
ditions as they were found to exist before America 
undertook her colossal European task. Plans for 
awakening the youth of our cities to a larger interest 
in their play and so in their physical welfare which 
were under way before the Great War, are bound to be 
given an extraordinary aid if we will now move quickly 
to take full advantage of the opportunity. Along with 
a desire for a strong nation, we are sure to find tre- 
mendously increased pride in individual strength and 
general physical ability. If physical education is 
now ready with a plan of action to supply the national 
demand for physical efficiency, we shall have little 
trouble in carrying it out. On the other hand, if the 
lation, fresh from its strenuous efforts at home and 
ibroad, with its new craving for health-building ac- 



8 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

tivities, turns to us only to find the same wornout, 
tedious, exacting drills and gymnastic movements, 
the same bickering between factions, it cannot be held 
responsible for the excesses and absurdities to which 
it may turn. 

It is, then, strictly up to physical education to meet 
promptly and effectively an emergency which may well 
prove to be the great turning point in its career. How 
best can we take advantage of the high enthusiasms 
and progressive fervor this conflict has given us? 
What simple, direct, and comprehensive plan of action 
can we offer that will turn these enthusiasms toward 
improving existing physical conditions and so make 
for a citizenship more capable of developing to its 
fullest extent its inherent possibilities for good? 
These are the questions which the succeeding chapters 
seek to answer. 



I 



CHAPTER II 
EXISTING PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 



N man's earliest recorded history we find him 
called upon to depend almost entirely on physical fit- 
ness in order to survive. The weak starved to death 
or were killed. Only the strong lived to perpetuate 
the race. 

At a later period we find men living in communities 
and delegating the duty of fighting to comparatively a 

few, while the rest were engagied in the vari- ^ ,. 

^ ° ° Decline in 

ous trades. But even here, wars involving a Physical 
large proportion of the men occurred with ^ ^^^ ^®^ 
sufficient frequency to keep alive in the race the vital 
qualities of grit^ courage, and hardihood through the 
medium of vigorous bodily exercise. Also, the trades 
men engaged in at that time required in most instances 
considerable physical activity. 

Coming still nearer to our own time, through the 
path of history, we discover both an increase and a 
decrease in the number of active pursuits, and a cor- 
responding rise and fall in mental and moral integrity. 
Rome, in its glory, carried physical activity to a high 




tos^^^i 




Knee Dip (p. 96) 



Corkscrew (p. 99) 





Through Stick (p. 98) Toe Jump (p. Ill) 



10 



EXISTING PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 11 

pinnacle ; its decline^ following the amassing of great 
wealth; led to the downfall of the Empire. 

Even seventy-five or one hundred years ago in our 
own country (much more recently in some sections) 
the severity of conditions of life supplied the average 
man the necessary physical exertion. Hardships and 
fighting have always kept men in health and well- 
being. It is when the severity of conditions relaxes, 
when wealth begins to pile up, and sedentary occupa- 
tions to increase, that we may reasonably look for a 
general social decadence. 

In spite of the advantage we have gained by our 
brief plunge into the tremendous European conflict, we 
have reached a very dangerous point in our history as 
a nation. Unless we hasten to take advantage of the 
interest in physical well-being caused by the war and 
create a definite field for its expression in a national 
physical activity and a definite physical efficiency 
standard for all ages, there is little doubt that gradu- 
ally we will slip back to our former state of increasing 
physical inertia. The frontiers have disappeared ; the 
forests where the ax rang out its peal of active well- 
being have melted away. The desert and the spell of 
the Yukon no longer help those in need of a spur to 
physical activity. We cross the frontier in a night, 
desert and all, in a Pullman berth. We go to watch 
golf matches and baseball games where the forests 



12 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

stood. Perhaps twenty men play while twenty thou- 
sand sit and watch them — and eat peanuts and grow 
fat. 

What is true of baseball is largely true of other 
sports. The Yale bowl holds TO^OOO people and the 
football field itself accommodates but a score or so — 
of specialized athletes. The unpleasant suggestion of 
the gladiator or the bull fight and their thousands of 
spectators is bound to present itself. This is intended 
as no indictment of major athletic competitions, which 
have a valuable place in athletics as treated in the 
discussion of games in Chapter VIII. But the fact 
remains that we have come to the point where the 
majority of our joys and pleasures are to be had with- 
out real physical exertion. Our work is in sedentary 
occupations. Our very sports appeal to us only when 
others play them. Something vital is missing that was 
present a generation ago. What name shall we give to it ? 

The active play impulse seems to be the broadest 
term that fits the case ; that is the essence of what 
is lacking. That is what we must strive to rejuvenate. 

If proof is needed that there has been an alarming 

decline in physical activities in the past decade, we 

. have only to examine the report of Dr. 
Increase m *^ ^ 

Chronic Eugene Lyman Fisk, Director of Hygiene, 
Diseases j^-^^ Extension Institute of New York, show- 
ing that the chronic diseases are rapidly on the in- 



EXISTING PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 13 

crease. The order of increase is : (l) Heart ; (2) Kidney 
and Urinary ; (3) Liver and Digestion ; (4) Nervous 
system. Of over 1000 industrial workers of average 
age — 32, examined in one city (Detroit), 53 per cent 
had hardening of the arteries, 72 per cent had either 
urinary or circulatory impairments, or both. Most 
of these workers were unaware that they were 
either in or near a serious condition. The United 
States Government report shows that the number of 
deaths from heart disease has increased 30 per cent 
since 1900. A large proportion of these cases are 
preventable or are subject to indefinite delay in their 
final action, providing proper stimulus can be given 
to physical activities. The vital organs must have the 
shaking up and the stimulation to proper functioning 
that is given by the right kind of physical exertion. 

Elementary School Conditions 

Nothing could show more clearly the passive state 
into which we are falling than the results of the physi- 
cal tests applied to the boys of the sixth, seventh, and 
eighth grades of the Detroit Elementary Schools. 
From a study of the conditions there, the author came 
to the conclusion that without a systematized and or- 
ganized effort to perpetuate them, active games, sports, 
and contests would become obsolete in five years in any 
large community. At first thought this may seem too 



14 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

radical a statement, but that the conclusion is justified 
must be apparent from an examination of the facts. 

Large groups of sports formerly in common use 
were found to be completely forgotten and discarded. 
Lack of The old-time ^' stunts " that every boy used to 
" Stunts " have as a part of his daily activity, and upon 
which he used to depend for a large share of his amuse- 
ment, were found to be practically unknown. Only 
a few of the most common ones had even been heard 
of. A glance at the chapter on ^^ Stunts, Individual 
and Combination^' will bring back to the minds of 
nearly all the men of thirty years or more the recol-§l 
lection of the splendid hours they used to have in spring- 
ing one or another of these stunts on their companions. 
It is almost unbelievable that what was once such a ^ • 
large part of a boy's existence can so completely have§| 
been submerged in the short space of a decade or so. 

A few of the stunts were known by name to some of l j 
the 5000 boys examined the first year. As a usual ' I 
thing, however, they seemed to consider that the 
stunts had no value for them personally. They were 
simply things they had heard of, not things they 
could try to possibly accomplish. The circus and 
the vaudeville stages are practically the only places 
where the Head Stand, the Hand Spring, and the 
Shoulder Stand are commonly seen. The sight of these 
stunts used to awaken and gain the interest of the 



EXISTING PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 15 

average boy, who would take them home in his mind, 
and practice them in the back yard or in the barn until 
he became proficient enough to spring them on his 
playmates. 

To-day there seems to be lacking the living spark 
that made the connection between stunts on the stage 
and the boys in the back yard. The self-confidence 
and eagerness to try anything new, and the intense 
competitive spirit aroused by the sight of something 
new in another's possession, seem almost to have 
disappeared. It was found that hardly a boy out 
of the 5000 had ever done such stunts as squatting 
on one foot and balancing on a chair, or jumping 
over a stick held in the hands. By far the larger 
number of boys had never tried to do more than 
a very few of the stunts listed in Chapter V. The 
eagerness with which they accepted any of these, when 
introduced by the Physical Education Department, 
showed that the breaking away from active sports 
has not been voluntary, and that under the right 
conditions the spark of response may be rekindled. 

Athletic events are more familiar to the average 
boy of to-day than stunts, probably for the reason that 
certain chosen ones of these events are f os- jj^^ j^ack 
tered by our universities and colleges and so of Athletic 
kept alive. Wherever it is found that an 
event has been dropped out of college competition 



16 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

during the last ten years or so, it seems to have invari- 
ably followed that the event has also been dropped 
by all classes of boys, with the result that it is practi- 
cally unheard of by the present younger generation. 
For example, the Hitch-Kick and the Hop -Step- Jump, 
both old-time college events, were found to be almost 
completely out of use by the younger boys. In fact, 
in only a few cases was there a boy found who could 
even begin the Hop-Step-Jump correctly. Some among 
them had heard of it, but to the majority the name 
conveyed not the slightest intelligence. The Hitch- 
Kick had to be worked on for a considerable time 
before the boys could use it at all. Both were obsolete 
events. 

In every school there were found some boys whoj 
could not jump off a mark with both feet together. 
They would hop, or step, or simply fall off, when at- 
tempting a standing broad jump. 

In running there were very few boys who could put' 
much effort into a hundred yard dash for the whole 
distance. Much determination might be apparent 
at the start of the sprint, but it seemed to fade from 
their faces at ten, twenty, or thirty yards, depending 
on the boy. On questioning them it was found that 
only a few had ever run that distance as fast as they 
could go; practically none had any idea how fast 
they could cover the distance, or even whom among 



EXISTING PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 17 

their acquaintances they could beat. A visit to the 
play spaces revealed the fact that if there seemed to 
be the slightest chance of his being overtaken, the 
tendency was for a boy who was being chased by 
another to quit. On the other hand, if the chaser lost 
ground he quit. This was true in wrestling and all the 
rougher sports. Such conditions need no comment, 
— they speak for themselves. 

Records taken by the author of all athletic events 
tried in the elementary schools the first year showed a 
pitiful lack of average ability. Of course some boys 
may be found everywhere who are able to do almost 
any of the things shown them. These boys either 
have exceptional athletic ability, or are blessed with 
fathers who are interested in keeping alive in their 
sons the amusements of their own youth. 

The ^^ fighting instincV which has been brought 

down through all the stages of civilization by physical 

contests of one kind or another seems to be 

The Lflck 
in danger of complete extinction among all of the 

our present-day youths. With no compul- lighting 
sory military service in a democracy such as 
ours, and with every boy allowed to choose his own 
activities, a very large per cent have failed to avail 
themselves of the opportunity for keeping this invalu- 
able instinct alive. The methods heretofore used by 
the boys in time of peace, such as wrestling, boxing, 



18 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

and all contests calling for actual personal contact, 
are seldom used by the boys of our modern elementary 
schools. Such simple, pleasurable methods of develop- 
ing grit, courage, pep, and stamina as boxing hats, 
doing the Indian wrestle, or the "badger pull," or 
ordinary " catch-as-catch-can " appear to have gone 
out of the life of the modern boy. In our chapter on 
"Contests," a score or so of the favorite contests of 
all ages of our history have been described. All these 
have been tried on boys of the Detroit Elementary 
Schools, with the most excellent results. The amazing 
fact is revealed that outside of boxing and wrestling, 
which have been kept alive by professionals, very few 
boys had ever heard of any of them, much less tried 
them. 

Boys now have few games outside of baseball, football, 
some form of tag, and a few hiding games. Pom pom 

pull away, prisoners' base, blackman, high- 
of Definite spy throw-the-bi, gray wolf, tally-ho, anti- 
Knowledge I_over, duck-on-the-rock, do2:-and-deer, fox- 
of Games ^ ; &> ? 

and-geese, hare-and-hound, wood-tag, tag- 

in-trees, one-and-two-old-cat, cross-tag, crack-the-whip, 
bull-in-the-ring, skin-the-devil, wind-the-watch, and 
many others have completely passed away for the 
larger number of children. There should be enough 
games known, and sufficient play spirit in every boy 
so that no matter what the time of day, time of year. 



EXISTING PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 19 

place or space^ number of boys^ or weather conditions, 
play would be the continuous program during unoc- 
cupied hours. 

In the old days boys had a game for every condition 
and every season. The first fall of snow was the signal 
for dog-and-deer, and fox-and-geese. The early spring 
winds brought out the kites and windmills, while later 
the running sap and peeling bark suggested the whistles. 

Boys have little opportunity to climb, though we 
found more of them familiar along this line than any 
other. Few could skin-the-cat, go over the -pt^ t i^ 
bar forward, or backward, hang and drop by of Climb- 
the knees, do the cut-off or grind, or many ^^^ ^^^ 
other ordinary boy stunts that used to be done from 
limbs of trees, from homemade horizontal bars and 
trapeze, ladders, beams in barns, old houses, mills, 
and every other imaginable place. Hundreds of boys 
tested could not chin themselves once ; not twenty 
boys in the city could bring their toes up to the bar. 
There was but a small percentage that could do it by 
swinging, or by any special struggle they might make. 

City conditions decrease the number of boys who 
make and fly kites, make and roll hoops, construct 
windmills and water-wheels that run things, whittle 
tops, chains, knives, willow whistles and fans, make 
carts, sleds, baseballs, mitts, bats, boats, bows and 
arrows, slings, and stilts. 



20 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

Without organized stimulation^ few teachers en- 
courage games and athletics, and some consider them 
a waste of the time that should be devoted 
The Lack ^^ study. These teachers place the subject 
courage- above the individual, whereas the best will 
Play**^ use them as a means to develop interest in 
all work and to get a real hold on the boy. 

A large per cent of parents do not engage in active 
sports with their children, or even with adults, and 
many do not even encourage it. 

The Types Among the boys examined in Detroit there 
of Boys were found to be four general classes. 

Class I. The first is composed of those who, on 
their own initiative, will put their best effort into 
whatever they enter in the physical life. They may 
be either the motor or the mental type. They may 
also have great natural ability or they may have little. 
They comprise a small per cent of the total number 
of boys. They come from moderate homes and in 
many cases their fathers do manual labor. They have 
work to do either because they must or because they 
choose to do it. If boys from wealthy homes are in 
this class it is due to heredity or home conditions. 

Class II. The second class is much the largest 
group. It is made up of boys from homes of all 
classes. Most of these boys have all the necessary 
qualifications for plays and games, although these 



EXISTING PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 21 

have not been developed. With sufficient stimulation 
they will go into things with the energy, perseverance, 
courage, and grit that every normal boy should have. 
If they are left to their own initiative, they will drift 
along the lines of least resistance. On these two classes 
depend the preservation and progress of the nation. 

Class III. The third class is recruited from wealthy 
and also from middle-class homes. When these boys 
can be stimulated to it, they have endurance, but they 
lack pep, grit, and courage. They are generally fash- 
ionably dressed. They do not like to get their shoes 
soiled. They are afraid of the dirt that goes with 
healthy play. They are nice. Many times they are 
called sissy. They have no control of their tempers ; 
when they lose them they cry, run, hide, and behave 
abnormally. They do not like to take off their coats 
and join in natural play activities. They are in- 
different and lazy. They do not keep their promises 
to other boys. 

Class IV. The fourth class is made up of boys 
coming from the poor, low, and unmoral homes. 
They are underfed, undersized, and some of them are 
subnormal. In this class are found boys who get un- 
clean, unhealthful, greasy food, and who have unclean 
and un ventilated sleeping conditions. This class, as 
la whole, has more grit, pep, nerve, and courage than 
Class II, but lacks in endurance. 



22 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

School captains have given many instances of the 
failure of Class III boys to keep their promises. Such 
a boy promises to be on hand at a certain 
tions of hour to play a game with his team. Motor- 
^^®^ ing; a friend; a suggestion^ or a whim may 

deflect him. He is not dependable. He does not play 
naturally. He must be forced or coaxed to play. 
These boys are to be found on almost any school yard. 

When boys of Class I exhibit certain of these tend- 
encies they develop into criminals. A certain per cent 
of the boys of Class III are criminally inclined but 
lack the force and energy to be of the Captain Kidd 
type and instead are negative and. subnormal. 

Mothers have said to teachers and principal when^ 
their boys were within hearing^ '^Why should John 
do this or that? He will never have to work for a 
living." It is not to be expected that boys coming 
from such an atmosphere would have the qualities a 
normal boy should have. Recently a member of the 
Physical Education Department heard a woman on a 
street car say^ " Dear^ I wouldn't hang on to that strap ; 
you might strain your side." The boy was attending 
one of the Detroit Junior High Schools. Such cases 
need no comment for emphasis. They appear to be 
good proof of the old saying that ^^It is only three 
generations from shirt sleeves to shirt sleeves." These 
things should recall Goldsmith's lines : 



i\ 



EXISTING PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 23 

" 111 fares the land to hastening ills a prey, 
Where wealth accumulates and men decay." 

It would seem that boys are putting less of their 
real inherent effort into things each year. Their 
studies are more predigested. They can see _., ^ 
athletics^ melodramatics, Diamond Dicks^ elusion to 
and Charlie Chaplins for the few shekels they ® ^^^" 
can rustle, and consequently it is easier to drift along 
the lines of passive amusement. 

They can be stimulated to a greater activity, but the 
question is, how can this be done so that they are on 
their own initiative, 80 per cent instead of 20 per cent 
efficient? When they are given a good ^^once over'' 
about how little ^^sand" they have, and that they have 
not grit enough to stick it out for a hundred yards 
with all their might, they will put much more pep into 
their efforts. 

It hardly seems possible that the competitive in- 
stinct can be completely lost by our younger genera- 
tion, but that it is in a fair way to being lost seems evi- 
dent from our examination. If any doubt is felt 
concerning the general active ability of the boys in 
your particular community, try to introduce some of 
the stunts, athletic events, and contests listed here, 
and satisfy yourselves as to the result. The fact will 
be found that, without organized effort to perpetuate 
them, sports and games are going to die out. 



24 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

The most direct cause for the existing conditions 
is, as we have suggested, the lack of the impulse for 
physical activity. Back of this lie a num- 
Sug- ^^^ ^^ important conditions, chief among 

gestions which is the lack of knowledge of things to 
Changing play. Directly behind this lack of knowl- 
Physical g^jg^ jg ^j^g \q^q]^ ^f g^ capable organization to 

teach the needed activities. And finally, 
behind it all, is the lack of the individual leader- 
organizer, who knows the conditions to be met, knows 
the games, stunts, contests, and athletic- events of 
past ages, knows how to organize, and knows, besides, 
the heart and soul of the boy. 

The problem, then, resolves itself into a question 
of education. Given the leader-organizer, an organi- 
zation may be constructed which will direct into the 
proper channels the necessary knowledge of things to 
play, which will in its turn bring forth the inherent 
instinct existing in every child in the form of a natural 
impulse for play activities. 

This instinct must be and is present in every in- 
dividual, brought down through the ages. It can 
never be killed, but it may easily be submerged. It 
is a case of the influence of environment being stronger 
than that of heredity. The chief cornerstone upon 
which modern physical education builds its hopes is 
the knowledge that this inherent instinct for play 



EXISTING PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 25 

activities does exist. If any real and lasting good is 
to be accomplished, it must be made to blossom forth 
into an impulse strong enough to impel action under 
any conditions. 



CHAPTER III 
ORGANIZATION 

The practicability of any plan calling for concerted 
national action depends to a great degree on its sim- 
plicity, its flexibility, and its insistence on 
National a few fundamentals. Therefore, in formu- 
^ *°^ lating the plan of organization in this chap- 
ter, we have done no more than outline a skeleton 
form. In the following chapters we have then given 
a rather comprehensive and detailed example of how 
the skeleton may be filled in. From these examples 
and the possibilities which their suggestion opens up, 
the plan derives its flexibility. Every locality has its 
own peculiar circumstances to be met, so that a com- 
plex, inflexible plan which could not be shaped to meet 
them would be useless. 

The suggested organization will apply in any civic, 
industrial, or military unit. Each unit can install its 
plan independently of every other unit, but the ideal 
scheme is the formation of a national organization 
with identical smaller organizations in the states and 
thus down to the smallest civic units. 

26 




(T ..,,gM#^| 





27 



28 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

The plan as proposed is in no sense theoretical, as 
it has been given a four years' trial in the public schools 
of the city of Detroit and has been found eminently 
practical. Each pupil is passing through a larger play- 
field each year and physical standards are being 
established for all ages. 

There is no doubt in the minds of the authors that 
the public school of the United States offers the very 
best opportunity for giving a fair trial to any 
School as proposed scheme of physical education. It 
Basis of ig i}^Q Qj^iy place where practically all boys 
may be reached. It is the one single place 
where millions of boys from all walks of life are gath- 
ered together. By means of the organization already 
in force under the educational system, every child may 
be checked up in a way that is impossible on a public 
playground or under any other of the present systems. 

Then, too, in the elementary schools the pupils' physi- 
cal education should begin and continue throughout 
each year until they have finished. Their interest is 
readily aroused, their environment and habits of life have 
not become so firmly fixed that new impulses are difficult 
to form. Their bones are just in the process of obtain- 
ing their ultimate characteristics and the whole physi- 
cal organism is at a point best suited to influence in 
the right direction ; no grave weaknesses, save those 
which are inherent, have had a chance to deyelop. 



ORGANIZATION 29 

The opportunity is here given to teach children every- 
thing that they do not know about legitimate play 
and to teach them in such a way as to imbue them with 
an impulse to play. This being done, many more of 
them will seek the public playground; they will be 
much more easily handled, a large percentage well 
qualified to handle themselves, and many more can 
play on the same space. Those who cannot go to 
public playgrounds will know how to play in smaller 
spaces. They will know a large enough variety of 
activities to fit their various conditions. In short, to 
gain the maximum efficiency from the introduction of 
physical activities to the life of a nation, no better 
place or time could well be found than in elementary 
schools. 

•Although the emphasis is laid entirely on the public 
school in this book, it should be kept in mind that the 
same scheme would apply to any civic, industrial, or 
military unit or collection of units. 

The essentials of the plan as applied to the public 
schools of Detroit are, briefly : 

(1) To foster and encourage the more nearly instinc- 
tive forms of physical activities which boys Essentials 
take to naturally, — activities which in them- of De- 
selves are pleasurable and need only to be 
directed, and in many cases only shown to become 
popular. - 



30 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

(2) To teach to all boys a large enough variety of 
such activities to furnish each with at least a few in 
which he can excel, a wide enough variety so that 
interest in them never flags, and some of the many 
can always be found that will be used spontaneously 
on any given occasion. 

(3) To teach such activities as require no special 
equipment, building, or apparatus. Physical educa- 
tion is in danger of becoming looked upon by those 
it wishes to reach as a ceremony which requires a 
fully equipped gymnasium before it can be indulged 
in, — much the same as religion has come to be looked 
upon as an afTair which must wait for Sunday and the 
church. 

(4) To take advantage of the element of competi- 
tion to the limit of its capacity for use. 

(5) To provide an organization for instructing the 
greatest number of persons with the least number of 
salaried supervisors, using the squad and captain sys- 
tem. The test of the efficacy of this plan is its power 
to develop the life-long impulse for physical activity on 
which personal efficiency depends. 

The tested program which follows should serve 
merely as a sample of how the essentials mentioned 
may be worked out to the end of stimulating in all 
boys the active play impulse that, better than any 
carefully laid out series of gymnastic exercises, will 



ORGANIZATION 31 

give us a nation of strong, capable, red-blooded men 
always able to uphold their country's honor and work 
for the advancement of its ideals. 

Organization in Detail 

The element of competition, being the strongest 
single factor in stimulating interest, is the keynote 
of the whole scheme. The city is divided 
into leagues with from six to eight schools in Decathlon 
a league, depending on their geographical 
location. Each school has its natural division into 
rooms, and the rooms are subdivided into squads with 
from six to eight boys in a squad. Thus, by means 
of actual first-hand competition whenever that is pos- 
sible, and by means of competition through comparing 
of records, squads compete against squads, rooms 
against rooms, schools against schools, and leagues 
against leagues. Every boy feels himself an integral 
part of the contest and, no matter how poor, does 
his best for the sake of the average. 

At the beginning of the school term the principals 
are notified through the proper channels that athletic 
elections are to be held. Under authority . 
from the superintendent and principal, then. Captain 
each teacher in charge of rooms included in ^^ ®°^ 
the athletic program holds an election. An athletic 
captain to have charge of all the boys' athletic work in 



32 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

the building is selected, usually from the highest room. 
Then each room selects a lieutenant to have charge of 
its affairs subject to the direction of the school captain. 
Immediately thereafter squad leaders, or non-coms, 
are either elected by the various rooms or are chosen 
by the lieutenants. The appointive system seems to 
be more popular in Detroit in the case of these squad 
leaders. It becomes their duty on selection to form 
the squads they are to have charge of by alternate 
choosing from the boys in their own rooms. 

One of the outstanding features of the plan in effect 
in Detroit is that teachers are asked to do as little 
«, active supervision as possible. The respon- 
Responsi- sibility is thrown on the boys altogether. 
^ *^ Certain teachers are loath to believe that the 

boys have it in them to manage their own affairs, and in- 
sist on allowing them very little initiative. There is 
probably no question but that such schools are able to 
show better reports and have the work better organ- 
ized than in some of the schools where the boys are left 
entirely on their own resources, but the fact remains 
that such teachers fail to see the point that the really 
big thing is not that the reports are perfect and the 
work perfectly organized, but that the boys are de- 
veloping initiative and ability to get things done on 
their own responsibility. The very best grade of work 
we have ever had in Detroit has come from the schools 



\ 



ORGANIZATION 33 

that persistently followed the policy of placing the bur- 
den of management on the boys, while keeping some 
degree of control by advice and constructive criticism. 

Every four weeks the school captains and their 
lieutenants are called to a sectional meeting. Here 
they are given a verbal explanation of what ^, 
is required during the coming month. Each tains' 
captain is expected to try out the work given ®® ^^^^ 
and to learn thoroughly the things he is to teach. In 
addition he is given a printed instruction sheet to 
which he may refer (see page 34), also a set of record 
blanks for keeping the results of the month^s work 
(see page 35). 

During the month, members of the Physical Educa- 
tion Department make systematic visits to the schools 

to- see that the plans outlined at the meet- 

. The 

ings are being carried out. Wherever it is Depart- 

found that the plan of organization has not pental 

^ . ° Visits 

been carried out, elections are held, squads 

are selected on the spot, and the system is set on its feet. 

With this organization in effect throughout the 

city, all that is necessary is to determine on the nature 

of the work to be given. The plan here 

suggested, which has been very thoroughly General 

tested in Detroit, is to classify physical activi- 55*^® ®^ 

ties of the type we have emphasized and to 

teach them in groups. The major games and contests 



34 HEALTH BY STUNTS 



Sample Instruction Sheet 

DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

Department of Physical Education 

Boys' Athletics 
Bulletin No. 15, November 1, 1918 

Instructions for November Athletics 

Special note: All soccer balls must be greased immediately to protect the leather 
from the wet. Unless captains see to this at once, the balls will not last out the season. 
We recommend Neats-Foot Oil, which can be bought at any drug store for about 10 
cents. 

Standing hop-step-jump : To get the best results in this event stand with both feet 
on the take-off while swinging the arms for a start; just as the final swing is being 
taken, lift one foot so that the " Hop " is taken from one foot only. Land on the same 
foot from which the spring was taken, take a long step onto the other foot, and finish 
with a big spring, landing on both feet. Do not slow up speed between the Hop, the 
Step, and the Jump. 

Forward fall : From a kneeling position reach back with both hands, grasping the 
ankles. Keep back well arched and head back, stomach rounded to make a curved 
surface to fall on. From this position fall forward. When done correctly you will 
roll easily from your knees to your thighs to your stomach to your chest and rock back 
again. 

Human rocker: After finishing the Forward Fall keep on rocking on chest and 
stomach. 

Wind mill : This is done with three boys. One kneels on hands and knees while 
two others sit on the floor on opposite sides of him, and each puts both feet up on his 
back, taking hold of each other's feet tightly, thus locking themselves securely on the 
first boy's back. The latter then stands up slowly, and placing an arm around each 
of the others swings them around in a circle by turning rapidly. 

Knee spring : Boy No. 1 lies on his back with his knees up, feet flat on ground. 
Boy No. 2 with a little run places his hands on the knees of No. 1 and turns a somer- 
sault in the air, boy No. 1 assisting by placing his hands on the back of No. 2 as he comes 
over. 

Back spring : Boy No. 1 gets down on hands and knees, No. 2, with a little run, 
places his hands on the ground close up to No. 1 and turns a somersault over his back. 
Make it as much a handspring as possible, that is, do not use the back of No. 1 any 
more than is necessary. 

Signed by 
Members of the Physical Education Department 



Approved by 
Supt. of Schools. 



ORGANIZATION 



35 



Sample Record Sheet 
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

Department of Physical Education 
Boys' Athletics 



LuUetin No. 



Captain 
School — 



-Grade- 



Date 



Last year's 
City Average 
16' 4i" 

Individual Stunts 

1. Frog Dance 

2. Bear Dance 

3. Forward Fall 

4. Solid Ivory 

5. Human Rocker 

6. Human Ball 



Mail this report to 50 Broadway 

Wednesday, Nov. 28 

Athletic Event 



-Class (A or B)- 



Standing Hop-Step-Jump 



Combination Stunts 

1. Wind Mill 

2. Knee Spring 

3. Centipede 

4. Back Spring 



Last year's 
Best Jump 
25' 4i" 
Contests 
Hand Wrestle 
Elbow Wrestle 



Games 
1. Horse and Rider 



Record of Standing Hop-Step-Jump 



Names 


First 
Week 


Second 
Week 


Third 

Week 


Fourth 

Week 


Best 
Record 







































































































































































































































11 



36 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

have been separated from the rest and introduced in a 
sHghtly different manner, as will be explained later. 
The greater number of physical activities have been 
classified, however, and by means of the above de- 
scribed organization, one tenth of each class i^ intro- 
duced each month to every elementary school boy 
not physically disqualified by a physician. At the 
end of the school year, then, the whole field has been 
gone over by the entire student body. 

The classification of physical activities used in 
Detroit and a description of each class 

tionof 1. Athletic Events. 

Activit^s ^* Stunts (Individual and Combination) . 

3. Contests. 
4. Games. 

An Athletic Event is distinguished from other physical 
activities in three ways : Anyone can perform the 
event more or less perfectly ; it is done in competition 
against time or individuals ; and it can be timed or 
measured, or both. 

Stunts include that large group of physical activities 
which boys used to class under the head of ^^ Stump 
the Leader." They differ from athletic events in 
that it is not a question of degree to which each can be 
done ; they either can or cannot be done. 

The division headed Contests includes such events 



ORGANIZATION 37 

as boxing and wrestling, where actual physical contact 
is made by fhe contestants. Usually the contestants 
work in pairs. 

Games are, of course, athletic events, and are cer- 
tainly contests, but they are to be distinguished from 
these by the fact that groups, rather than individuals, 
are competing. 

A yearly calendar, with all physical activities thus 
classified and divided according to months, was com- 
piled and used as a basis for the squad work. The 
calendar is reproduced on pages 38 and 39. Using this 
calendar as a working basis, five athletic events, six in- 
dividual stunts, four combination stunts, two contests, 
and four games are introduced each month at the 
captains^ meetings, and by the captains are carried 
back to the elementary school boys. 

Up to the present it has been found impossible, 
in Detroit, to expect captains to send in the accurate 
written record of more than one athletic event and one 
stunt each month. The ideal is, of course, to reach 
the point in efficiency of organization where it will be 
possible for a written record to be taken of each boy's 
performance in each athletic event ; and a record taken 
of just how many boys in each squad can do each stunt. 

This ideal might easily be reached in an organization 

ivhich supplied a large staff of paid assistants, or 

Aln a private school. Also it may be pertinent at this 






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40 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

time to say that before long every school board and 
school head in the country will be brought face to face 
with the necessity of lengthening the time given out 
of the school day to physical education, in which case 
the above ideal would be perfectly possible. 

Briefly what is accomplished in Detroit each time 

the boys have their athletic period may be summed 

up as follows : Under the direction of the 

g^® lieutenant the boys of a room march down 

Plan of to the field; gymnasium, basement, or hall, 

ti^n"^^" ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^> ^^^ ^^^® ^P ^^ attention 
in squads, with the squad leader in front. 
The athletic events for the month are demonstrated 
by the captain, and the one for which a written report 
is required is carefully explained. 

The captain then designates the exact place in which 
each squad is to work, and the squads proceed to get 
busy under the direction of their squad leaders, who 
measure, time, or judge each boy under them, record- 
ing on paper the results of their attempts in the re- 
quired event. 

Thus with each squad working independently, in 
addition to the required athletic event, all the boys 
will get a chance to make at least one try at the other 
four events, learn what they are like, and perhaps 
receive the necessary stimulus to take them up as part 
of their leisure time activities. 



ORGANIZATION 41 

At a signal from the school captain each squad 
then lines up facing him for instruction in stunts. 
The idea here is not to try to teach every stunt to every 
boy and keep at it until they all learn them, but rather 
to have the captain and leaders demonstrate how they 
are done, to give everyone in each squad a chance to 
try them at least once, and then to trust to the awak- 
ened interest to impel the boys to take them home and 
learn them. A record of one stunt each month may 
be taken. 

Having taken the athletic record and tried the stunts 
once all around, the contests and games are quickly 
demonstrated and briefly tried. The boys naturally 
take to them quickly and will use them at recess and 
after school. 

The captain then brings out all squads to attention 
and marches them back to their room. The recorded 
results taken by the squad leaders are turned over to 
the captain, who copies them on the standard form 
used by the department. 

This plan is carried out in detail one day each week, 
so that at the end of the month, when the reports 
are due, they should show four separate records for 
each boy. 

A room contains twenty boys. There will be four 
squads with five boys in each, including the squad 
leader. These boys go out on the school yard for 



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44 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

the purpose of taking a broad jump record. Each 
squad leader has his boys numbered. They jump 
A Concrete ^^ ^^^ order of numbering, each boy having 
Example three trials. Each leader has at least fifteen 
Time jumps recorded on his paper. The captain 

Taken directs and shows the method of measur- 

ing, where necessary. In a school with a good cap- 
taiuj the records of twenty boys jumping three times 
each can be made in five minutes from the time they 
leave the room until they are back again. 

After the reports are all turned in to the Depart- 
ment, one day is taken for the tabulation of results. 
By intensive labor it is possible to send the tabulated 
T b 1 ti averages back to the captains and princi- 
the pals within two days of the time the re- 

^^° ^ ports are received (for the sample summary 
sheet see pages 42 and 43). This policy aids greatly m 
getting captains to see the necessity of having reports 
in on time, besides allowing an immediate comparison 
of merits and ability throughout the city. 

This whole system of competing by means of records 
was given the name ^^ School Decathlon." This is 
The the most important branch of the physical 

Awards work. Suitable awards are given each year 
to the school in each league having the highest all-round 
average. A City Championship Banner is awarded 
in addition. 



ORGANIZATION 45 

Military Training 

In order to connect the athletic work more directly 
with a " Win the War " plan, a strictly military pro- 
gram was added during the war. As handled during 
this period the organization was as follows : 

Each high school military organization, already 
uniformed and well drilled, furnished enough fully 
qualified cadets to allow every elementary school in 
its district at least one officer. This cadet officer, 
once placed in charge of a school, was held responsible 
for the military training of all its sixth, seventh, and 
eighth-grade boys during the school year. 

The Physical Education Department issued each 
month a bulletin enumerating a minimum of new tac- 
tics for the month. Each cadet officer in charge of 
a school was required to teach these tactics and was 
allowed to go as much in advance as he was able. 

Once a month the elementary school boys in train- 
ing in a given high school district were called together 
and put through the required tactics for the past 
month, the high school military director taking charge. 

The military director, a high school faculty man of 
experience, held, one day each week, an officers' train- 
ing school to teach the young officers the ^, 
best methods of dealing with their many Oflacers' 
problems, diplomatic as well as military. ^ °° 

At intervals during the year a meeting of all cadet 



46 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

officers was held under the direction of the Physical 
Education Department, its purpose being to exchange 
ideas and to smooth out any defects in the system 
that might have cropped up. 

In the spring competitive drills between schools of a 
section and between sectional champions were 
itive held to determine the grade of work being 

" done. Awards to the winners were made. 

The question of uniforms and arms for the elemen- 
tary school boys did not become a pressing one in 
Detroit. Uniforms were encouraged wherever pos- 
sible, though they were by no means deemed essen- 
tial. A few schools making the request were allowed 
to purchase wooden guns out of funds raised by en- 
thusiastic student militarists. 

The time for the drill work was an important question. 
In Detroit thirty minutes once a week is allowed from 
The Time the study period at the close of the school 
Allowed (jay^ j^ successful cadet officer, however, is 
able to hold his boys from fifteen to thirty minutes 
after school closes. The first thirty minutes is com- 
pulsory for all sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade boys ; 
the rest of the time is voluntary. 

The cadet officers selected other officers as soon as was 
necessary, and these elementary school officers were 
expected to drill their boys at least once a week in 
addition to the regularly prescribed drill. 



ORGANIZATION 47 

Additional Athletics for the Year 

Besides the military training and the school decath- 
lon, the Physical Education Department in Detroit 
has outlined the boys' athletic program for the year 
as follows : 

1. From September to December a soccer schedule 
keeps over one hundred teams busy each week. 

2. In December and January indoor track meets 
are held in the high school gymnasiums for elementary 
school boys of each section. 

3. At the close of the first semester an individual 
all-round athletic championship contest called the 
"Decathlon" is open to every eighth-grade boy in the 
city. 

4. During February and March each school in a 
section sends out a "stunt team" to participate in 
huge "Demonstrations" of all physical contests in 
which both boys and girls take part. 

5. In April, May, and June a baseball schedule 
holds sway. 

6. Another "Decathlon" contest is held. 

7. A final Field Day athletic program decides the 
outdoor track and field championship of the city for 
both boys and girls. 

In this, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades compete 
separately and according to weight class. Each of these 
activities is described in detail in the following chapters. 



48 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

A Discussion of the " Captain " System 

Generally it has been found most successful for 
the boys to elect their own captain, with power to 
recall him and elect some one else when he fails to 
perform his duties successfully for the school. In a 
small percentage of cases the boys will choose the 
wrong boy, but there is not often a second mistake. 
During the first year, in many cases where teachers 
and principal thought the boys had made a mistake 
in their choice it proved to be otherwise. These 
boys took the responsibility, proved themselves suc- 
cessful leaders, and did better work in school. ^ 

Many teachers tell how boys have been kept in 
school through their athletics ; how some have re- 
gained their self-respect ; how unreasonable boys have 
become reasonable and dirty ones cleaned up ; how 
smoking and swearing have been cut down ; how indi- 
vidual and collective enthusiasm have been developed ; 
how lazy ones have been stimulated ; how irresponsible 
boys have become responsible ; and last, how well they 
have organized and what a constructive attitude they 
have taken toward the physical side of life. 

In this way boys are trained to analyze carefully 
and judge well those boys in whom they are about 
to place trust. This training will be valuable to them 
and their country in choosing men for public office 
after they have arrived at the voting age. Then, 



ORGANIZATION 49 

too, many of them will be in business and other organi- 
zations where this ability will be necessary for success. 

The success of the system depends, first, on a good 
captain, and, secondly, on the encouragement and 
support he gets from principal and teachers. -,, „ 
In most cases when the captain has had this port from 
support he has handled his school as well dur- ®^^ ®^^ 
ing the year as it could be done by the average adult. 

It is a regrettable fact that a few teachers think 
athletics spells lost time. If they could only realize 
that they could get nearer to the boys through their 
play, and get more out of them by taking such interest, 
they would, were they more than human automatons, 
avail themselves of the opportunity. School spirit 
and school entliusiasm need to be encouraged in the 
elementary school as much as in the high school and 
college. This part of school life has generally been 
neglected. 

The second year, and after a year's experience in 
choosing captains for the various activities, it was 
interesting to hear the answers to questions of why 
they did not elect this or that boy to the office. "He 
is too lazy"; "He can't make the boys do things"; 
"He is cranky"; "Boys don't like him"; "He is 
too changeable," etc., were some of the replies. 

Before a year closes captains go about their busi- 
ness as well as men and carry it out much better 



50 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

than many men could. They are not satisfied in half 
knowing things ; they have to be shown. They ask 
The intelligent questions. It is our belief that 

Develop- ^^ ^]^jg ^^^ they actually average better in 
Executive executive and administrative ability than a 
^ ^^ group of average men. They are the best the 
schools have. They take this responsibility and con- 
duct themselves accordingly. 



CHAPTER IV 

ATHLETIC EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR 
MEASURED 

Athletic events may be divided into the following 
main groups : 

I. Running. IV. Throwing. 

II. Climbing. V. Kicking. 

HI. Jumping. VI. Unclassified Events. 

These group's of activities have been the foundation 
for the very existence of past races of people. To-day 
they are the foundation for the physical well-being of 
every nation. How much the mental and the moral 
conditions are dependent upon the physical may be 
judged by the reader. For the past decade or more 
these activities seem to have lost their hold on the 
larger percentage of our boys. 

It is most essential that boys have a great variety 
of events from which to draw. Many given in this 
chapter will not be used in meets, but will help to 
furnish new material when they have tired of the old. 
The more events, the more chance each boy has to 

51 





Begin Camel Walk (p. 121) Begin Back Flip (p. 134) 





Twister (p. 122) i lopper (p. 123) 

52 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 53 

excel in one of them. A boy will " stick with the 
bunch" and take his defeats, if he has only one 
thing, no matter how minor it be, at which he can 
excel. He will find a time and a place to introduce 
his specialty. 

Running 

This is the most important of physical activities. 
It should be participated in past middle life by every 
individual. From running alone, sufficient exercise can 
be had to keep the body in good physical condition. 
The distance and speed must vary with the age and 
sex of each individual. Running stimulates the heart 
action and stretches the blood vessels, keeping them 
elastic, and thus leading away from the encroaching 
disease so common to-day, — hardening of the arteries. 
Running calls into play muscles of the legs and arms, 
and mildly stimulates all the muscles of the upper 
portion of the body. The organs are made to function 
properly, thus insuring against poor health arising 
from stomach and intestinal diseases, liver and kidney 
trouble, and circulatory affections, as well as respira- 
tory diseases. 

Running has many forms and variations, and plays 
the leading part in many games. Ability to think and 
to control the muscles during vigorous action is much 
more highly developed in some forms of running than 



54 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

in others. Dodging^ as in the different varieties of 
tag ; dodging balls ; dodging in football and baseball ; 
catching and throwing while running ; running through 
the woods ; running over logs and rough country, 
either in daylight or darkness, falling seldom and 
without hurts, — all these forms of running develop a 
motor control that most city boys of to-day fail to get. 
Boys who are able to think and act while engaged 
in strenuous physical exertion are the ones who are 
valuable in dangerous emergencies, not only to them- 
selves, but to others. A tremendous effort needs to 
be put forth by every community to see that each boy 
gets this training, not only as an asset of physical 
ability, but also as a foundation for mental efficiency. 

Some of the Events Included in Running 

100 Yard Dash Backward Dash 

Potato Race Relay 

Three-Legged Race Sack Race 

Hurdles Dribbling Soccer Ball 

The places fit for running events in most of our cities 
are very few, the average school yard being too small 
1. Hundred ^^^ the hundred yard dash. In cases where 
Yard Dash ^ straight-a-way 100 yards in length on 
soft ground cannot be found, the street or sidewalk 
may be used. Distances from 20 yards up are used. 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 55 

depending on age and sex. One hundred yards is 
made the standard distance for 7th- and 8th-grade 
boys. Greater distance is discouraged for sprinting. 

There are several methods of timing running events, 
all of which are important to know, so that whatever 
occasion may arise, a form of timing may be had to 
fit it. Where large groups of boys have to be handled 
in a short space of time, one of the following methods 
may be used : 

First Method : The timer stands at the finish of the 
race ; runners line up at the other end. The timer, 
with uplifted hand, handkerchief, or hat, signals each 
runner to start. At the finish he announces the time 
to his captain or his clerk, who checks it up to the 
runner. In this way three runners may be timed each 
minute. 

Second Method: The timer stands at the finish and 
two or three runners are started at one time. The time 
of the first runner is taken, and that of the other two 
is estimated by the distance they are from the finish. 
To do this accurately, marks five feet apart are made 
across the track parallel with the finish, each mark to 
represent one fifth of a second. Two extra helpers 
may be used at the finish to take the positions of 
the second and third contestants when the starter 
signals the finish of the winner. It is suggested that 
in most cases a better average will be made when two 



56 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

or three boys are running at the same time in com- 
petition. 

Third Method: The timer stands at the finish, the 
contestants Une up to start, one behind the other. 
No. 1 gets on the mark and is signaled to start by the 
timer. As soon as he leaves his mark, No. 2 takes his 
place. As No. 1 finishes, the timer signals No. 2 to 
start. This continues until all of the group have run. 
The total time is taken and is divided by the number of 
boys. In this way the average of a group may be 
had very accurately with an ordinary watch, by the 
use of the second hand. ||i 

In each eighth-grade school generally one or more 
boys are found who can run 100 yards in twelve seconds. 
A few in the city range from eleven to twelve, occa- ] 
sionally one less than eleven. Some of the slower 
ones range from sixteen to twenty seconds. 

This distance of 100 yards is sufficient for testing 
the pep, grit, speed, and endurance of elementary 
school boys. A very good estimate of a boy's real 
ability may be had, not alone from timing him for the 
distance, but from watching him closely during the 
dash. 

As most boys nowadays seldom, if ever, run more 
than 30 or 40 feet at a stretch, they fail to put any 
rhythm or swing into it. They cannot handle their 
legs well ; their arms cut back and forth across their 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 57 

chests to the detriment of their speed; and when they 
approach a 14 or 13 second chp, they lose all control 
and begin to wobble along as though their legs were 
numb or asleep. Practice alone will remedy these 
faults. 

In each school there are generally a few girls who can 
run well. They seem to have a natural stride and a 
better form than most boys. They can also outrun 
all but the very best. In such cases it will be found 
that the girls play more than most boys. They have 
brothers with whom they scuff or box^ and they enter 
into all good vigorous play. The best of the girls: 
can run fifty yards in less than seven seconds. Their 
efforts and ability help in stimulating the boys. 

For the relay race the distance used is the same as 
that in the dash. That is, the one hundred 2, Relay 
yard dash is the maximum for each of the ^*^®" 
four runners on the team. 

The place must fit the condition. It may be run 
as a straight relay, four hundred yards in length ; or 
if only 100 yards is available, it may be run as a shuttle, 
on a track, or around a square. 

Any running event is interesting to contestants and 
spectators alike. The relay needs no special training or 
coaching. It can be run off easily and quickly. By using 
the relay it is possible to enter more boys in a meet. 

For hurdle racing the standard distance is 100 yards. 



58 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

Hurdles used; 30 inches high (24 inches high for boys 
under 100 pounds) , are placed 10 yards apart ; 20 yard 

3. Hurdle Start; and 30 yard finish. This uses six hur- 
^**^® dies. Hurdles may be made in the Manual 
Training Department. This event should never be run 
on the sidewalk or on the street. 

The Backward Dash as a method of competition seems 
to have gone out of use entirely, as might be expected 

4. Back- under present city conditions where it is 
ward Dash danger ous enough to run forward. There are 
a few boys in the city who can run 100 yards backward 
faster than the slower ones can run it forward, but as a 
rule, 50 yards is sufficient distance for competition. 
The same rules for timing may be followed as for the 
hundred yard dash. Much interest and enthusiasm 
can be developed from this kind of running. 

The Three-Legged Race is an event seen at carnivals 
and picnics and seldom used outside of these festivities. 
^ „, No records have been made for time, its chief 

5. Three- ^ 

Legged use being to develop fun and enthusiasm. A 
pair of contestants are required to make a team, 
the two standing side by side with their arms locked and 
the right leg of one and left leg of the other tied together 
at the knee and the ankle. With a little practice this 
event may be perfected to such an extent that any 
two boys can win out over competitors, perhaps faster 
runners, but not so well practiced. 



|i EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 59 
i 

In the Sack Race there is much skill, as well as fun 

and enthusiasm. Very few boys can run any distance 
without falling unless they have had a good q sack 
deal of practice. An ordinary grain sack is ^*^® 
used, the contestant standing inside it and holding 
up the top with his hands. It is possible to shuffle 
along with the feet inside the sack or to jump with both 
feet together. 

For the Potato Race each contestant starts at a mark. 
Beside him is a basket containing six potatoes or other 
objects of similar size. Six other baskets are 7, potato 
placed ten feet apart, beginning ten feet from ^^^^ 
the first. Place one potato in each of the ten baskets, 
beginning with the first empty one and following in 
order. Only one potato can be carried each trip. 
On every trip the contestant must go around each 
basket, including the home basket. In place of 
baskets, shallow holes in the ground, or merely the 
space between two lines drawn on the ground may be 
used. Any num^ber may compete. 

For the Soccer Dribble four posts are placed twenty 
feet apart for each contestant. There is no limit to the 
entries. Each contestant starts with a soccer g soccer 
ball on the ground on the right of his starting ^"^^^^ 
post. He must dribble the ball with his feet by the op- 
posite side of each succeeding post, thus winding in and 
out and describing continuous figure eights. Two com- 



60 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

plete round trips must be made, and the finish is made 
when the ball is brought to a stop on the mark from 
which it was started. This is an excellent event for both 
indoor and outdoor meets. For outdoors, more posts 
and longer distances may be used. Almost anything 
upright may be used in place of posts, such as short 
sticks, jumping standards, or boys. 

Climbing 

This is one of the great events necessary to the life of 
every boy. Most boys and girls take to it as a fish to i j 
water, when given an opportunity. Turn a group 
out in the woods and almost everybody will find a 
tree he can climb. Some will take to the tallest. 
Old houses, barns, mills, or new houses under construc- 
tion furnish climbing places. Many men will recall 
playing tag in all such locations. Climbing smooth 
trees without branches is extra hard. At present not 
many boys can accomplish it. A good opportunity to try 
is furnished by an ordinary telephone pole 15 to 20 feet 
high, without steps on it. Never attempt to climb or 
touch any poles that have chains, wires, or anything 
metallic extending from the wires at the top to the 
ground. Never touch anything hanging from them. 
Often boys are killed or severely injured by electric 
shocks in this way. 

When woods were accessible, boys formerly spent 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 61 

many hours a day swinging from branch to branch, 
crossing from tree to tree, bending over the smaller 
one and letting them fly back with a boy left hanging 
on, or climbing around in hay barns and going hand 
over hand from brace to brace. It was '^Follow the 
leader/^ and '^I'U stump you'' to do this, and few took 
the ''stump." 

Such ability has saved the lives of thousands of boys 
and men. Because of it they have been able to save 
not only their own lives, but the lives of others. It 
has been a big factor in building up a good physical 
foundation for the boys' after life. Not only that, but 
it has developed grit, courage, and confidence to 
a great degree. Climbing is especially good for 
strengthening the vital organs and keeping the back 
and shoulders straight. Every adult should participate 
in some modified form of it every day. 

Chinning is a well-remembered and old-time event. 
Not many years ago every boy had his bar or swinging 
trapeze or both, after seeing his first circus, if i cwn- 
not before. The old wagon show left these ^^^ 
monuments to its memory by the thousands for at 
least twenty miles on each side of its meanderings 
through rural communities and small towns. What 
man cannot recall the first circus and the flying trapeze 
and horizontal bar or ladder on which he did stunts? 
Every boy had some little exhibition he could put on. 



62 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

Is it possible that the circus arouses no active enthu- 
siasm in the great majority of present-day boys? Are 
they going to be satisfied with just seeing things and 
doing nothing ? A , 

The writer doubts very much if any man can recall a* 
single boy of his play days who could not chin himself 
several times. Is there a man that would now admit 
that he could not? There was a good bit of pride in 
the muscle it took and the grit to use it to the limit. 
What man as a boy has not rolled up his sleeves, and 
with clenched and tightened muscles displayed with 
pride that bump on the top side of the arm ? The right 
spelled ^'Instant death" and the left ^^Six months in 
the hospital" for anyone mixing up with it. 

A boy who had no muscle to show and who could 
not chin himself was called a '^ sissy." He still is in 
some localities. But the physical powers of boys have 
slipped. There are hundreds of boys in Detroit who 
not only cannot chin themselves once but who cannot 
make a start. The average for the city was slightly 
over three times per boy the first year. Every school 
in Detroit now has chinning bars. Some schools have 
them in every room, including the kindergarten. 

Jumping 

Jumping is one of the great general activities. It 
is closely associated with running. Most running 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 63 

games include some form of jumping. Besides being 
used as an athletic event, jumping has been a factor in 
many other activities. Jumping streams, ditches, mud 
holes, fences, and over logs and other obstructions ; 
jumping into snow banks, hay, water, out of trees, swing- 
ing and jumping, and many other forms of this activity 
have, in the past, played a large part in the boy's life. 
The fact that many of these natural free-play con- 
ditions have gone out of his life is just another of 
the many reasons for helping the boy in his activities. 

Events Included under Jumping 

Standing Broad Jump , Standing Hop, Step, and 
Pole Vault Jump 

Running Hop, Step, and / Three Jumps 

Jump Backward Jump 

Running Broad Jump Running High Jump 

Standing High Jump Three Hops 

The half dozen kinds of jumps taken from a standing 
start may be done on almost any kind of ground. In all 
but the High Jump, a starting board should piace to 
be used. The starting board used in the J^"^P 
Detroit schools has usually been a cement walk. The 
place of landing should be soft dirt or sand. 

For the four or more running jumps each boy 
should have a definite distance for his run so that he 



64 HEALTH BY STUNTS : 

will not have too short or long a step just before the 
take-off. This latter throws the jumper off his swing 
and lessens his jump. 

For the landings of the running jumps, a pit of soft 
dirt should be used. Every school yard should have a 
sand pit which can be used. If no such space is avail- 
able, a corner of the school yard about four by eight 
may be spaded up. Making these jumps on hard 
ground lessens a boy's ability to a considerable extent. 

The boys line up and jump in order, by number. 
Each boy gets three jumps. Only one squad of from 
Methods ^o\ir to seven boys jumps from one place at a 
of Jumping time. A captain, assistant captain, or squad 
leader checks the record of each boy by number or 
name. The best of the three jumps is counted. In all 
the broad jumps the jumper must not touch the ground 
back of where he lands until after he has stepped ahead. 

The regular method of measuring jumps is followed. 
The broad jumps may be measured by fastening the 

M th d ^^^ ^^ ^ ^^P^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^ board, 
of The most rapid and practical method is to 

easuring j^^]^^ several marks on the ground parallel 
to the toe board, one foot apart, and within the range 
of the finish of the jumpers. Each jump may then be 
measured with a foot rule from the nearest mark back 
of the jump. A yardstick is generally used, as each 
schoolroom has one. 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 65 

In Detroit many boys were found who could not lift 
both feet from the toe board at the same time. In 
other words, they could not jump, but would ^ , 
either step or hop. Many others had jumped i. standing 
but a few times in their lives ; 7th- and 8th- ^'^^^ ^^"'p 
grade boys of all sizes were found who could not jump 
four feet. A. large number fell back or slid and fell. 
A normal, healthy boy of nine should be able to jump 
at least five feet, -e^ 

The average 7th- and 8th-grade boy should be able 
to jump over twelve feet.^ In learning any kind of 
running jump it is important, first of all, to 2. Running 
get the 'Hake-of!" right, that is, to learn Broad jump 
to run hard from a distance and strike the ^Hake-off" 
board with the foot one jumps from, without having 
to lengthen or shorten to any great degree the last 
few steps. It pays to learn this well before expending 
too much energy on the jump. 

If one has trouble in getting up high enough in the 
air on the broad jump, put some object, as a chair, in 
the pit about six or eight feet from the ^Hake-off " and 
practice clearing that in the jump. 

Boys will jump higher and gain more rapidly if the 
landing is in a pit or on a mat. Most of the jumping 
is done scissors fashion. It is not the object 3. Running 
of the Physical Education Department in High jump 
Detroit to develop professionalism by teaching the 



66 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

professional method. Any boy learns the side jump 
quickly and gets his fun earlier in the game. If any 
boy wishes to specialize he begins the ^'straight at the 
bar" method. Even though this jump is more com- 
plicated and requires more skill and apparatus^ boys 
have tried it more than any of the other jumps. Four. 
feet is a good jump for an elementary school boy. II 

There are generally only a few pole vaulters because 
not many boys have an opportunity to try this event. 

4. Pole It is well liked but requires some time to 
^*"^* learn. Not many years back every boy had 
some kind of pole and did various kinds of vaulting. 
The form did not count but the fun was great. Pole 
vaulting ranged all the way from jumping streams, 
fences, or other obstacles to seeing which one could 
place his heels highest on the barn. It is good training 
for boys and an interesting event to watch. Some of 
the boys get very good form while in the grades and 
can go from eight to nine feet. 

This event has also borne the name of hop, skip, and 

jump, depending on the locality. Few boys in Detroit 

had ever heard of it. Those who knew how 

5. Standing 

Hop, Step, were those who had moved in from rural 
^ localities or small towns or had been taught 
by a boy who had brought it to the city. 

The start is made from one foot off a given mark. 
If made from the left foot, the order of striking the 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 67 

ground is^ first left foot, then right foot, then both 
feet ; this makes the hop and the step and the jump. 
No pause should be made at any except the final 
landing. By throwing the feet far forward as the last 
spring is made, the body is pulled ahead and a good 
mark should be recorded. 

Many fathers watching boys go out for the first 
time to try this event expressed surprise, saying, ^^I 
thought every boy surely knew how to hop, skip, and 
jump.^' It did look strange to men who had known and 
done it since earliest boyhood to see boys juggling and 
hesitating on what to do next. They faltered before 
they began, got mixed and lighted on both feet, or on 
one, and jumped or hopped twice, or stepped twice and 
jumped. A few took to it quickly but most had a 
struggle before they mastered the swing. After that 
it took some time before they could do it without 
stopping to think what they were going to do, and 
could put pep into it. This accounts for the very low 
average of 13 feet, 7 inches for the first year it was 
tried in Detroit. 

This event, as was true of the standing, was known 
to but few boys of Detroit. The same thing is un- 
doubtedly true of other cities unless if has ^ „ 

•^ 6. Running 

been taken up in some organized way and Hop, step, 
taught to the boys. As it is faster, faster ^ 
thinking and more concentration are required to mas- 



68 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

ter it. A running start is taken and the first spring 
is usually taken from the same foot used to start the 
standing event. 

This follows the same rules as the standing broad 
jump^ except that there are three successive jumps 

7. Three without a pause instead of one. It is much 
Jumps ^ more vigorous exercise for the abdominal 
muscles than the single jump. Measure the distance 
from the start to the end of the third jump. After a 
few good trials most boys will be lame the next day. 
It is excellent exercise for every individual not too old 
to be shaken up well. 

In this event start on one foot and take three con- 
secutive hops on the same foot with no fall-back at 

8. Three ^he finish. It is a good event for diver- 
Hops g^-j-y^ though not quite so strenuous as the 
three jumps. 

Stand with the toes on the starting board. The 
contestant may swing his arms as in the forward jump, 

9. Back- or may hold them at his sides. When the 
ward Jump j^nip is starting, the arms are swung in the 
direction of the jump and reversed suddenly before 
landing. Few boys have any idea how to use their 
arms for a backward jump or can make any distance 
at it. After learning, some will reach 6 feet easily. 
The backward jump furnishes diversity and fun but is 
not easy to learn. Some boys excel in it who cannot 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 69 

do so in other events. It is because they take the 
extra time to learn, which proves well worth the 
while. 

The jumper stands sidewise to the bar lo. stand- 
and jumps over scissors-fashion, with a VJfnJp^^^ 
spring from both feet. 

Throwing 

This is another of the great general activities. 
Man developed it out of striking. Both striking and 
throwing are included in many games. Striking 
developed with the others in the ^^ survival of the 
fittest.'^ These were early steps in civilization. Prim- 
itive man ceased killing his enemies and his prey with 
his hands and teeth and began using clubs and 
stones. As his civilization developed he. used the 
spring in wood, then in metal, for throwing. In the 
beginning all kinds of objects were used. Gradually 
they took on definite shape in wood and stone, finally 
turning to metal, and reaching their highest stage in 
destructive civilization in modern, timed projectiles, 
timed to kill at one throw more people than a whole 
army of savages could, and more than one savage 
could kill in a lifetime of throwing. 

If we expect to keep alive the fighting mechanism in 
the human body, on which the very existence of a 
nation or a people still depends, each boy must have 



70 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

his schooling in throwing. Before cities grew up, 
boys had an opportunity to exercise this instinct almost 
continuously, and uninterruptedly and non-destruc- 
tively. For a large percentage of American boys this 
free throwing of anything at hand at anything in sight 
has ceased. Even snow-balling is under the ban. 
Now the objects thrown are made less dangerous by 
being filled with air or protected with leather, cloth, or 
rubber. If the object is dangerous by its speed or 
hardness it is used in competition for distance, is 
thrown for accuracy, or is caught in protected hands. 

Events Included under Throwing 

Baseball for distance ^>^hot Put 

Baseball for accuracy Overhead Shot 

Indoor Baseball for distance ^ Front Throw 

Indoor Baseball for accuracy Under Shot 

Basket Ball for distance u^ Shot Pitch 

Basket Ball for accuracy ^ Hammer Throw 

Football for distance Discus Throw 

Football for accuracy Javelin Throw 

The place for these events depends on the object 

thrown and whether it is for distance or accuracy. 

Those events should be used which will best 
The Place 

fit local conditions. as to space available and 

time of year. 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 71 

The same methods of measuring may be followed 
in distance throwing as are used in jumping for distance. 
The distance in a carefully conducted com- 
petition is measured with a tape from the Method of 
front of a circle, or from a mark on the ^®^^""^e 
ground, or the toe board, to the place of landing. 

For rapid work in getting averages, the school fence 
or sidewalk is marked at yard distances or stakes are 
set. If the trials extend over the period of a week or 
a month, these distances are measured but once and 
the marks used are so made as to last the required 
length of time. 

In some of the throwing events the 7-foot circle is 
used and in some a line. If the circle is used, the 
contestant must not overstep it and must ^, 
walk out of the back half of the circle after Method of 
the throw. The contestant must not over- Conducting 
step the line after the throw if the line is used instead 
of the circle. 

This takes the place of the old-time stone throw 
for distance. Boys have in the past spent time that 
would add into months throwing stones for 
distance and height. When they were throw- , 

° *^ 1. Base- 

ing for height, trees and flagpoles were used, bail Throw ' 

rpi J. , ,-, „ for Distance 

ihe distance throws were generally across 

rivers or ponds, or out into large bodies of water. 

Round stones competed against round stones, and 



/ 



72 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

sailors against sailors. They can be skipped long dis- 
tances and a stone can be made to skip more than a 
dozen times with one throw. To-day, boys in the city 
have lost the art of throwing the sailor stone for dis- 
tance or of skipping stones on the surface of water. 

This event can be used on any school ground. It 
makes a good event with any indoor, base, or play- 
ground ball. It is also a good event for 
bau Throw girls. The distance used is 30 feet, with a 
bull's eye one inch in diameter and' 2, 3, and 
4 foot circles, counting 10, 5, 3, and 1. 

In conducting this throw for distance, the circle, 
a line, or a toe board may be used. When the circle 

3. Basket- is used the contestant may give the straight 
BaU Throw ^hrow or the turns. When the line or toe 

V board is used, any length running start may be 
taken. In conducting this event for accuracy use the 
basket-ball basket. 

Use the oval ball and follow the same methods as 
those for distance throwing with the basket ball. The 

4. Football ball must be thrown spirally and from the 
Throw hand alone instead of from the arm and hand 
as with the round ball. 

For accuracy use the same target as that used for the 
indoor baseball for accuracy. Throw the ball spirally. 

All the following weight-throwing events are excellent 
for boys to learn to do in good form. They require 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 73 

patience and persistence to learn, and they develop 
speed in some groups of muscles generally used for 
strength. Large groups of muscles are used. Any 
form a boy may use is good exercise. In the past, 
weight throwing has taken up a fair percentage of 
the boy's play time. Beside the impetus it receives 
by being one of the fundamental activities, it is a good 
competitive sport. Weights to use and a place to use 
them have in the past been easily accessible. Any 
weight from the size of a brick up has been used. Most 
city boys are not getting sufficient training in this 
event. Many are getting practically none. They not 
only have had little to do with weight throwing, but 
in addition the percentage of boys who cannot play 
baseball is increasing. 

In Detroit each 8th-grade school has an 8- and a 6- 
pound shot ; each 6th-grade school, a 6-pound one. 
In ffettins; records, the 7th and 8th trades 

^ ^ ^ ^5. Shot Put 

used the 8-pound and the lower grades the 
6-pound shot. In outdoor meets the over-a-hundred- 
weight classes use the 8-pound shot and the under, a 
6-pound one. 

The shot used in Detroit are of iron. They were 
cast at a foundry for 3^ cents per pound. The model 
was made in the Manual Training Department of one of 
the Junior High Schools. 

The correct form used by college athletes is rather 



74 HEALTH BY STUNTS 



difficult to learn easily and has some variations, 
depending on the individual athlete. In general and 
roughly, however, the method in use consists of a half 
crouch at the back edge of the 7-foot circle with the 
left foot ahead, the weight held in the right hand close 
to the shoulder, and the elbow close to the side. This 
is followed by a swift hop to the center on both feet, a 
lower crouch, and an immediate, final spring during 
which the weight is delivered forward and upward. 
This final spring shifts the position of the body so that 
at the finish of the ^^put'^ the right side has come to 
the front of the circle, the right foot close to the 
front edge, the left foot extended behind, and the 
right arm reaching as far over the front of the circle 
as the balance will allow. 

In this event a shot, basket ball, or soccer ball may 
be used. Toe the mark. Lift the shot or ball over 

6. Front ^^L^ head and throw it forward with both 
Throw hands. Follow the rule of throwing the ball 
or shot straight over the head as in the "throw in'^ 
in soccer. The feet may be lifted from the ground but 
the contestant must not overstep the Hne and must 
step backward after the throw. 

The same weights are used as in the shot put. The 

7. Over- Contestant stands with heels on the mark or 
^®^ ^^°* against a heel board, takes the shot in both 
hands and throws it over the head and in the opposite 



n« ■ 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 75 

direction from which he is facing. Before throwing 
he swings the shot back and forth between his legs for 
a good swinging start. He must not fall back or step 
back of the line^ but must walk ahead after the throw. 

The contestant heels the mark as in the Overhead 
Shot, takes the shot in both hands, and throws it 
between his legs in the opposite direction g. under 
from the one in which he is facing. The ^^°* 
shot may be swung the same as it is in the Overhead 
Shot, or it may be thrown backward without the 
swing. 

Toe the mark as in the Front Throw. Pitch the 
shot forward from a swing backward between the legs. 
Face in the direction of the throw, take a half g shot 
squat position, and hold the weight behind the ^^*^^ 
legs with both hands and arms around the outside of the 
legs. The weight is thrown forward between the legs 
from this position. Do not step forward dur- iq ghot 
ing or after the pitch. Some boys swing the ^^^^ 
weight several times before throwing ; others get good 
results with one big swing and a throw at the finish. 
Generally a boy taking a big swing for a good throw will 
trip himself with his hands, not knowing just when to let 
go of the weight. A brick may be used for this event. 

This is an excellent event but has never been popular 
in boys' play because of the lack of a discus or some 



76 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

natural object near its shape. At least the event has 

11. Discus liot seemed to be sufficiently popular to de- 
Throw velop the manufacture of an object for 
throwing. A flat, circular, 4-pound weight is used 
and is ^'sailed'' through the air for distance. 

This also is an excellent field event and has, in the 
past, been participated in to a small extent in some 

12. Javelin localities. Poles of various weights and 
Throw lengths have been used. Sometimes they 
were thrown at a mark instead of for distance. With 
primitive man this developed from striking into spear- 
ing and spear throwing. 

This field event has generally been popular at local 
fetes. The old and original method was to get from a 

13. Ham- near-by blacksmith shop a sledge hammer 
mer Throw ^Jxich might Weigh anywhere from 8 to 16 
pounds. This was thrown sometimes with one and 
sometimes with both hands from a mark or a board 
instead of from a 7-foot circle. The sledge was gener- 
ally whirled over the head and thrown mostly by main 
strength and awkwardness and not by the modern 
double or triple turn. Good form is excellent train- 
ing, but of fundamental importance is the good, whole- 
some fun, the enthusiasm, and the intense and strenuous 
competition any such event or contest may develop. 
The hammer throw should be conducted with care 
on account of the danger to spectators. 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 77 

Kicking 

This general activity played a fair part in man^s 
early fight for existence. It is rather bad form to 
use it in either offense or defense to-day^ though it 
still has some opportunities and was taught during the 
recent Great War. 

The high kick seems to have gone entirely out of the 
play of the present generation of boys. There cannot 
possibly be a man past thirty who has not, as a boy, 
tried many times and many ways to see how high he 
could kick. Is it possible that boys nowadays are 
content to see the acrobat, the contortionist, or the 
female vaudeville star do all the high kicking, without 
attempting to try it at home ? 

Kicking a football or whatever may be serving in its 
place is the most noticeable remnant of the kicking 
art that is left. 

The method most commonly in use is to stand on one 
foot and kick with the other, leaving foot Number 1 
on the floor. This stretches out some body High Kick, 
and leg muscles which need exercise. It is ^®* ^ 
good for all ages and both sexes and everyone should 
be able to kick at least as high as his head. Like 
the ^^ somersault'^ and ^^hang by hands or knees," 
this is a good before-going-to-bed and early-morning 
exercise. 



78 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

This is the jump kick or hitch kick. The kicker is 
permitted to stand still or to back off a few steps and 
High Kick, ^^ke a run at it. In this kick the contestant 
N°-2 ' kicks the highest with the 'Hake-off" foot. 
He gets his impetus by swinging the other foot, but 
kicks the object used for the test with the 'Hake-off" 
foot. Many wonderful stories are told by old-timers 
of kicking 7 , S, or 9 feet by this method. It is good, 
vigorous exercise and often good for a fall or two when 
made too strenuous. 

In this event the kicker stands, starts, and kicks 
with one and the same foot. Boys cannot kick very 
High Kick, liig^ ^"t first. A few of the best will run 
^®'^ it up to 4 or 5 feet as soon as they get 

the swing. 

In this event the kicker starts off both feet at the 
same time, kicks with both, and lands on both. It 
High Kick, requires some practice to kick very high. 
^^- * It is more of a jump than a kick at first. 

This is a backward kick. Stand on one foot and 
kick, for height, backward with the other foot. It 
High Kick, ^^^ never been used much as an event and 
^°* ^ few have ever tried it. It is most excellent 

exercise. It stretches out some of the body and leg 
muscles that are almost entirely neglected. One needs 
only to try it to verify this statement. 

In this event the soccer or oval ball may be used. 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 79 

A target or temporary goal may be set up if the regu- 
lation goals are not accessible. When using 
the oval ball; use the drop or place kick. Football 
The soccer ball is always kicked from the i. Accuracy 

Kick 

ground. In this event the ball may be kicked 
from the penalty kick mark. A goal keeper may de- 
fend the goal. 

With the oval ball any method of kicking may 
be used. When using the soccer ball, any method of 
kicking may be used. Contestants may 2. Distance 
overstep the line in all kicking for accuracy ^^^ 
or distance. 

Unclassified Events 

These events are put in as unclassified because 
they come indirectly or in part only under the big, 
general activities. 

Swimming is undoubtedly the best single event for 
all-round physical development and also for exercising 
the intestines, heart, lungs, stomach, kidneys, 1, swim- 
liver, and all other internal organs. Swim- °""^ 
ming should be learned at an early age, — breast, 
back, and over stroke. The boy should learn all 
kinds of diving, and how to conduct himself in all 
positions over and under the water. He should keep 
his eyes open under water, always breathe through 
his mouth, and grab the air quickly. If a boy has 



80 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

any kind of ear trouble, he should wear ear plugs and 
a rubber cap. 

Often supposedly good swimmers drown. If they 
do J it is because they " lose their heads " from excitement 
and from being thrown in unusual positions. They 
may have been good swimmers but they should have 
been ^^at home in the water." When a boat overturns, 
never try to hold on to the side ; get to the end. One 
could not climb up on the side of a round log. A boat 
that will float when turned over or water logged will 
hold up just as many people as it did before it capsized. 
A good swimmer can save a whole party by keeping his 
wits. 

A swimmer should be in no danger of drowning 
by breaking through the ice or falling into a 
hole while skating. In the first place he should 
not go below the surface on account of the fall beginning 
from so near the surface. To prevent this he should 
know the methods used to prevent sinking deeply in 
the water when falling in. Second — the ice is a very 
easy thing to crawl on to out of the water. From 
the time that the swimmer has begun his crawl on to 
the ice with arms straight out at the side and kicking 
the water with his feet to work himself ahead, his 
shoulders and back should not be under water again 
no matter how much or how far the ice continues to 
break. Special mention is made of this as it seems to 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 81 

be quite generally understood that a person who falls 
through the ice is expected to drown. 

With swimming every boy should know the best life 
saving methods and also methods of resuscitation. In 
1915; in Detroit; thirty-one per cent of the boys in the 
7th and 8th grades testified that they could swim 
distances ranging from fifty feet to two and one-half 
miles. 

Most boys and girls learn to skate on ice or roller 
skates. In 1915 eighty per cent of the 7th and 
8th grades said that they could skate for- 

1 • . 1 • 1 1 2. Skating 

ward on ice skates and sixty per cent could 
skate backward on ice skates. One advantage of 
this exercise is that one or the other may be used all 
the year in cities. If children are taught to skate on 
ice it helps to break up the modern city tendency toward 
passive indoor amusement. 

There are many games that can be played on ice 
which add to the attractiveness of ice skating and which 
keep boys at good, clean, healthy sport. 

In this event the body and neck must be held 
straight and rigid. If any part of the body bends, 
do not count the time but let the contestant 

3. Floor Dip 

go on and count just those times done 
according to form. The hands should rest on the floor 
straight down from the shoulders. The direction of 
the hand is optional. Parallel to the body or nearly 



82 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

so, with fingers toward the head, seems to get the best 
results. The average for Detroit in 1915 was 7.5 
times; in 1916, 11.83; in 1917, 15.5. 

This is also called ^^ Trunk Lifting." The contestant 

sits on the floor with a boy holding his feet. He locks 

his hands behind his neck and with head bent 

4. Sit Up 

well back, bends his trunk backward until his 
head — and head only — touches the floor, and returns to 
a sitting position, repeating as many times as possible. 
To insure correct performance, it is a good plan to 
have the contestant sit on a raised platform or table 
and bend the trunk backward across the vacant space 
between that table and another one placed just far 
enough away so that the head — and head only — will 
touch it, thus making it impossible for the contestant to 
find support for any part of the back (see detailed 
description in Chapter VII). 

This is a good measure of the abdominal muscles. 
These muscles can be developed more rapidly than any 
others of the body and they also deteriorate most 
quickly. They are poorly developed in adults and 
also in boys who are not strenuously engaged in many 
play activities every day. It is most essential to good 
health to have these muscles well developed. They 
require daily exercise. This exercise is easily taken, 
at any time of the day. Trying it and doing one's best 
the first time will cause lame muscles for several days. 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 83 

Use three sharpened pegs about the size of a lead 
pencil. Use a mark or starting board as with the broad • 
iump. The boy hops on one foot as far 

, , , 1 5. Set Pegs 

as he can, sets one oi the pegs, takes a second 
hop and sets second peg, takes a third hop and sets third 
peg. During the three hops he must not touch the 
ground with any part of the body other than the foot 
from which he started. If he loses his balance or hops 
out of place to retain it, he may hop back and place 
his heel in the same place and continue his trials. 
The pegs are left in the ground and each boy has three 
trials to set them further out. 

This event is contested on the ratio basis between 
height in inches and the lung capacity in cubic inches. 
The method used has been to divide the e. Lung \/^ 
height in inches into the lung capacity. Capacity 
Every normal boy's ratio should be at least 3 to 1. 
3|- to 1 is good. Some boys go over 4 to 1. 

The Physical Education Department in Detroit has 
been led to believe that there is a direct relation 
between lung capacity per height and brain capacity. 
One point has been definitely shown, and that is that a 
boy or girl whose lung capacity doesn't increase in 
proportion to his height or weight during the adolescent 
period becomes subnormal. There are many reasons 
to believe that efforts should be made to stimulate 
interest in this event. 



84 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

This was never a contest in the usual way of thinking, 
but it always has stood for a great deal. A boy always 

7. Chest tias been and should be proud of a good chest, 
Expansion ^^^ ^^^ ^^y ^Jiq has a good One to ^Hhrow 
out" has more back of it in the shape of good health 
than one who does not. A compressed or rigid chest 
much more easily develops tuberculosis. People who 
have good chests and whose bones are not bowed or 
out of shape seldom die of chronic diseases.^ 

This is hardly a fair contest on account of the varying 
size in shape of chest and condition of bones. It 
should be stimulated, however, and every boy should 
be encouraged to get at least a 3-inch chest expansion. 
Many good athletic types of boys examined did not 
have a 3-inch expansion, while some had nearly 5 inches. 

The amount of arm expansion does not always 
indicate the amount of ^^ wallop" up the sleeve. Some- 

8. Arm times a good expansion is not good muscle, 
Expansion ^^^ ^^ generally can be made so. No one 
will be mistaken in both the looks of the muscle and 
the size, when it is a good one. The more boys are 
interested in these particular muscles the more they 
are apt to grow. The boys examined in Detroit ranged 
from 1 inch to 2-J- inches expansion, with arms from 8 
to 12 inches in girth. 

1 Dr. Joel E. Goldthwaite's " Anatomic and Mechanistic Concep- 
tion of Disease.'' 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 85 

This event consists of lifting a heavy weight to a 

perpendicular position over the head. Some standard 

weight should be decided upon and records 9 putting 

made for the different grades. In ordinary ^p Weight 

: play activities boys have used any weight rock that 

i was handy, often going on to those so heavy that 

I only a few of the strongest-armed boys could put 

; them up once. 

A good event is made by using a rock from 15 to 30 
; pounds in weight and finding out who can put it up over 
his head the greatest number of times. In the near 
I past every boy had a pet rock, ranging in this vicinity 
, of weight and sometimes extending to 50 pounds or 
over, which he kept about the back yard and with 
which he used to perform the ^^ strong-man act." If it 
was not nesting with those finely-proportioned duck- 
egg hard heads, which he kept closely guarded for 
^^duck on the rock," it would be found somewhere 
about. 

In this event the school shot or a rock is used. This 
is a grip and triceps test. It is the test of the arm in 
a peculiar position. The event is to see how 10. Shoui- 
many times the shot can be lifted from the ^^^ ^^°* 
right shoulder with the right hand, placed on the left 
shoulder and returned, without resting the arm on the 
head. 

In country and village stores, when muzzle loaders 



86 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

were in vogue and bird shot came in 25-pound sacks, 
the bags of shot were used for this event. 

To see who could hold out the heaviest weight in the 
right or left hand or both at the same time was one 

11. Hold often-tried event. The arm had to be 
Out Weight straight and at a right angle with the body. 
Sometimes the start was made with one or both hands 
holding a weight or weights extended straight over 
the head and lowered to a horizontal position as many 
times as the contestant's strength and endurance 
would permit. 

In ^^Grip the Stone'' any weight may be used that 
can be gripped and held with the weight below the 

12. Grip hand. One heavy enough to be just barely 
the stone lifted by, the average boy is about right. 
With a starting line see who can carry the weight 
farthest before dropping it, or can carry it the most 
times around some object. 

For many winters, when every community had its 
horseshoeing shop and the store kept horseshoe nails 
in 25-pound boxes, these were used for the gripping 
event. In one of these stores each winter this box 
occupied a prominent place. It had to start from a 
certain keg of nails and circumnavigate the old box 
stove until the grip gave out. Each time counted one, 
but the last one, in order to count, had to end with the 
returning of the box to the keg. 



EVENTS THAT CAN BE TIMED OR MEASURED 87 

Time spent indoors in such places, when not used for 
physical activities, was bent on problems of the ^^Fox, 
Goose, and the Sack of Corn,'' ^^Fox and Hound," 
'^Grindstone," or politics. There were, nevertheless, 
continuous strenuous activities in contrast to the great 
amount of passive activity of a large per cent of boys 
to-day. Boys are not playing as hard to-day and are 
spending only minutes in play where their fathers spent 
hours and even days. Such a condition is certain to 
have its results. 

The slogan of some schools in Detroit is ^'Play, " 
— and they do it. No boy or girl is caught standing 
around the building at any time. It is the ^'keep 
moving" idea and keep moving fast. The result 
is that few are absent on account of sickness. The 
nation is surely in need of boys and girls with abundance 
of energy, a place to use it, and proper guidance. 



/ 



CHAPTER V 
STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 

Twenty years ago nearly every healthy, wide-awake 
boy who was allowed to follow his own ideas in play 
The Value knew how to jump through a stick held in 
of Stunts y^[q hands, how to turn cart wheels, stand on 
his head, do the handspring on the grass, and a hundred 
other stunts or tricks that required strength and skill 
and kindred physical virtues, such as balance, speed, 
quickness of movement, limberness, and agility ; and 
such moral virtues as perseverance, nerve, pep, and 
grit. 

These stunts formed an excellent basis for com- 
paring the physical ability of boys of all ages. That 
the swiftly changing modes of living have nearly lost 
to the modern boy the knowledge of such a valuable 
set of activities is indeed a regrettable fact. In this 
chapter individual stunts and combination stunts are 
explained in detail and many of them illustrated by 
photographs, so that, once more, children of all ages 
and men of all walks of life may learn them and be 
able to test their own skill, endurance, muscle, and, 
perhaps most important of all, their sense of balance. 

88 




89 



90 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

Beside having the virtues already mentioned, stunts 
call into play a very great range of muscles without 
The causing too severe a strain on any one set or 

abimv'of niaking too great a demand on the vital 
Stunts organs. Their adaptability to any group of 
people and to nearly any occasion makes them exceed- 
ingly valuable. It is safe to say that everybody can 
do some of the stunts, and equally safe to say that 
scarcely anyone can be found who is able to do them 
all. Thus one is assured of interest easily awakened 
and indefinitely held. Some of them have been taught 
to boys and girls beginning at the age of two years. A 
child beginning at that age may have learned a hundred 
or more stunts by the time he is ten or twelve, and still 
will gain rather than lose enthusiasm in the mastering 
of new ones and the perfecting and demonstrating of the 
old. 

Those stunts to be found in this chapter by no means 
cover the whole field, for new ones may be and are being 
invented every day, and more old ones, long forgotten, 
are being dug up. A boy who has never been able to 
excel in the athletic line may be the inventor and for 
a time the sole performer of some new stunt, to his own 
intense satisfaction. It is not difficult to see how 
initiative and self-confidence arise from this. 

To the individual person, many stunts may at first 
seem impossible of execution. Perseverance and grit 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 91 

alone will bring success in such cases. When tried in a 
group and under the stress of circumstances; very often 
success comes suddenly^ and with it pleased surprise 
and great personal pride^ which lead, naturally, to 
further attempts, further success, and greater self- 
respect. Muscular development and improved health, 
being incidental to the joy of accomplishment, far 
from suffering on that account, take on an added 
significance. 

In Detroit the stunts are introduced into the schools 
by first teaching them to the captains who, in turn, 
teach them to the boys in their squads (see -iwr ^.i^ j r 
Chapter III). So successful have been such Intro- 
efforts during the four years of their use ^^ *^^ 
here that the continuance of the organized attempt 
to reach every boy in the schools is assured. 

In making the arrangement of material the stunts 
have been divided into two main classes : one including 
all which are to be done by the individual alone, called 
"Individual Stunts,'^ and the other including all 
stunts done in couples or by more than one boy at a 
time, called "Combination Stunts." 

These main classes are then each grouped in four 
divisions. Group A describes those stunts which are 
the simplest and which require the least natural 
ability. It is safe to say that anyone, boy or girl, 
should be able to do any in this group. 



92 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

The stunts in the remaining groups (B, C, and D) 
are so arranged that each successive group requires 
more natural ability, or, if this is lacking, more con- 
sistent practice. 

This grouping opens up several possibilities with 
regard to the assignment or scoring of the stunts when 
used in a school system : 

(1) If so desired, only stunts in Group A may be 
introduced in the fifth grade ; Group B in the sixth 
grade ; Group C in the seventh grade ; and Group D in 
the eighth grade. 

(2) In a test of ability, twenty-five points may be 
given for any stunt demonstrated in Group A; fifty 
points for any in Group B ; seventy-five for any in 
Group G ; arul oru; hundred for any in Group D. 

(.3) Or, in a test of ability, all stunts in Group A 
may be required for a passing mark ; seventy-five 
per cent of all those in Group B ; twenty per cent of 
those in Group C ; and ten per cent of those in Group D. 

After some thought on the matter other possibilities 
of using the grouping will be evident. 

INDIVIDUAL STUNTS 

Gkoup a 

While not, strictly speaking, a stunt, the taking of 
the test for posture requires a certain amount of knowl- 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND f ;OMliIXA'IION 03 

('(Ific to h(; }i,'i,(J only \)y ri('S(;rif)tiori. Tiikc, a rv^^ular 
f,;ui(Jin^ f)ositj'on, (;h(;st, out., stornncfi in, with ;i,rrnH 
;i,t side. Sf^ruJ tfir; arms forw.*i,r(J n,n(J \i\)W;\.r(l i Posture 
to jj, vcrilcn] f>ositiori, fioUJin^ ihc corrccA, ^^^^ 
position of \.\\(', [;OfJy. It is [>(;st to stjind in front of 
;j, mirror for litis test. If the cliest ^o(;h in jiikJ tfic; 
st,orri;icJi out, or if tJi(;r(* is di[n(;ult,y in ^cttin^ \,\\<) 
arms str;i,i^;})t uf), the fiosturo is [)Oor. 

Stand witfi [iJinrJs on hif^s. do to a full squjittin^ 
position witl") h(;(',Is off tjic f/rownd, kccfiin^ tfic body 
Htr;j,ifrht u.j\<\ pcrpr'nrjiftuh'ir. Kc,t,urn to ;i, 

.2. Squat 

tn.ndiriff; [)Osit,ion slowly wit-hout, losin^f; 
balance;. 

K(;(;p tho, knofis strai^fit Jtrid Ix^rici forwjird, touoliin^ 
tin; j^rourul with botli fuirids. Arms and h^^s sliould 
both \)() Htr'dijfht. Hold this [position for 3 Human 
several Hcconds. V wicket 

Take, tho position of tfie irnmjin Wickcit, nrid w;i,lk 
on all fours, k(;(;pinf/; thf; kn(;(;H strai/^fit. 4 wickct 
'^Iry r;u;in^'; in t,his [>osit,ion. '^ ^^"^ 

'^riiis h;j,s }>(',(;r] f;ommofily known by suf;h n;i,rrM;s n.s 
''SomerHault," '^ K(;(;l-ov(tr," and ^Mlcr^s-ovcr-hr^ad.'' 
It is donr; |'>y puttin^^ tho haruJs and hon.d on 5 Forward 
th(; j^rrjund, tjjrnirif.'; tfio h(;ad ijnd(;r, kicking **^'* / 
up tlir; fV;(;t, rollinfi;on \,\\(' bn.ck, ;i,nd f;ominM up on to tjio 
f(;f;t a^^;i,in. To fiiu.kc ;i, <i;ood finish, ^r/isf) tho JinklcH 
with the. liJinds just ])(:\'or(; comin^/ Uf) on tJir-, fcot. 



94 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

The forward roll is also done without touching the 
hands to the ground and should always be done rapidly. 
This is a good stunt to teach children almost as soon 
as they can walk. It teaches a sense of balance when 
the body is out of normal position and is good for the 
internal organs. A very good idea of any boy^s 
motor control can be obtained by watching him do the 
forward roll. His ability to do this^ from the age of 
three up, is a vital index to the coordination between 
mind and muscle. 

From a kneeling position, grasp one ankle in each 
hand. Pull the feet up to the hips, with the back 

6. stump arched, and walk on the knees, keeping the 
^^^ J balance. 

Sit on the floor with the knees up, feet together. 
Reach the arms under the respective knees from inside 

7. Human ^"^^ Xook. the fingers over the ankles. Start a 
^^^ J swaying, sidewise motion, then roll on to thigh 
and shoulder, either right or left, keeping fingers locked 
and feet together. Continue the roll from the first 
position over on to the back and so on to the opposite 
shoulder and thigh, coming up to the original sitting 
position. In order to get enough momentum to regain 
the sitting position, impetus must be given by the 11 
knee and shoulder as they strike the floor. In making 
two complete rolls, one describes a circle, bringing up 
approximately at the starting point. 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 95 

Stand with both feet firmly planted on the ground. 
Spring upward in the air and attempt to make a 
complete turn in the air before landing, 

8. The Top 

without losing the balance at the finish. ^ 
Use the arms to pull oneself around. Learn to turn 
either right or left. Some people can make more than 
one complete turn. 

Stand three fourths the height from some solid 
stationary object, as a wall, and, keeping the feet 
stationary, lean forward and place one hand 9 pajm 
against the wall. Attempt to push away to Spring 
an upright position without moving the feet. If this 
is too easy, stand farther back. 

.".This is especially funny when done by some boys. 
Few can do it well. One needs only to try it to find 
out the amount of exercise to be had from a 10. Dog 
short run done in this manner. Both hands ^"" 
are placed on the floor, knees held slightly bent, and 
an attempt is made to imitate the gallop of any ordinary 
yellow dog. The author has known boys who could 
gallop along under the rear axle of a wagon for some 
distance with the team at a brisk trot. 

Measure twice the length of the foot from the wall. 
Toe this mark, facing the wall. Set an ordinary chair 
between the feet and the wall, keeping the n. soUd 
knees stiff. Place the head against the wall, ^^^^^^ 
without using the hands, by bending to a right angle at 



96 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

the hips. Pick up the chair, hold it against the chest , 
and return to an erect position without bending the 
knees or moving the feet. Try this still farther back. 
Stand on one foot. Grasp the other foot behind 
the back with the opposite hand. Bend down with 

12. Knee ^^m outstretched for balance, touch bent 
^*P knee to the ground lightly, and return to 
standing position without touching the ground with 
any other part of the body. 

Place a tin pan or cigar box a foot above the head. 
Kick it by lifting the body with a half kick with one 

13. Hitch foot, and then a swift kick with the other 
^^^ foot. The body can be lifted a considerable 
distance by the first, the fake kick. To gain the full 
advantage of this lift, kick high with the second foot 
while the first is still in the air. For example, take a 
short run toward the object and make an effort as 
though to kick it with the left foot, the left foot return- 
ing toward the ground so that the landing is made on it. 

From a standing position bend the knees and squat 

14. Crab down Until you can reach backward and 
Walk p^-j^ both hands fiat on the ground without 
sitting down. Walk or run, face up, in this position. 

Kneel on one knee with the other leg and foot entirely 

15. Fish off the ground. By bending forward pick up 
Hawk Dive ^{^h the teeth a handkerchief that is placed 
on the ground directly in front of the knee on which 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 97 

you are resting. This is a balancing stunt, and a 
^* swoop" which it is generally necessary to make 
to reach the handkerchief gives it its name. 

This is a posture test and a stunt that not many 
boys can do correctly. Stand beside a plumb line so 
that the line passes the opening of the ear, ig Piumb 
point of the shoulder, hip bone, back of the ^^"® '^^^^ 
knee and ankle. A boy can be tested by another 
person, or it can be done by using a full length looking 
glass. A fairly good test will be shown with the coat 
removed, but a much better one with only a swimming 
suit on. Unless one has a perfect posture the head 
will hang forward, the hips will sag to the front, and 
the whole figure will be '^out of plumb." Stand 
naturally and see how you look. 

From a standing position drop swiftly to the 
hands, leaving the ground with both feet 17. Mule 
and kicking vigorously backward just be- ^'^^ 
fore (or just as) the hands strike the ground. 

As the feet come back to the ground push the body 
partly erect with the hands, — hands leaving the 
ground. Repeat several times rapidly and vigorously. 
Try this stunt in a kick for height. 

Group B 

This is simply the forward roll reversed. Squat 
quickly to a sitting position, and at the same time fall 



98 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

backward; giving impetus to the roll by throwing 

1. Back ^he feet backward over the head and rolling 

Somersault ^^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ie feet. 

Use an ordinary broom handle or a small round 
stick, and grasp it with both hands behind the back, 

2. Through palms forward. Bring the stick over the 
stick head to a position in front of the body, arms 
straight, hands still grasping the stick. Lift up the 
right foot, swing it around the right arm and through 
between the hands from the front over the stick. 
Crawl through head first by raising the stick with the 
left hand over the head, skinning the stick over the 
right knee and the back. Come to an upright position 
and step back over the stick with the left foot, finishing 
with the stick still grasped in the hands in front of the 
body. Reverse this operation by stepping back through 
the stick with the left foot and skinning it over the 
back in the opposite direction, returning to the first 
and original position. Any boy or girl of any age 
who is the least bit limber can do this stunt. 

Spring upward with both feet, knock heels together 
twice, and separate them before landing. Some boys 

3. Heel Can knock them together three times and 
Knock have them apart on landing. 

Place a piece of paper or an object the size of a 
walnut on the outer side of the right foot. Pick up 
this paper with the left hand after passing the left 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 99 

hand in front of the body, around the outside of the 
right leg, forward between the legs, and 4^ cork- 
around in front of the right leg. Keep the feet ^"^"^ 
on the floor a few inches apart. This is a real twister. 

Take a kneeling position. Place the hands on the 
hips. Bend backward so that the head is back and 
the hips and chest are fo'rward, with the 5^ Forward 
stomach well rounded to make a curved sur- ^^^ 
face to roll on. Keeping this exact position with the 
body a rigid curve, fall forward. Do not touch the 
floor with the hands. When done correctly you will 
roll easily from knees to thighs, to stomach, to chest, 
and back again. 

, v^ Stand on one foot: extend the other foot out in 
front. Dip to a full squat position with foot extended 
and arms out at the side as a balance, and 5. single 
return to a standing position without touching ^^"^* / 
any other part of the body to the ground. Try this 
stunt keeping the heel flat on the floor, also with the 
heel up so that you are rising simply on the ball of 
the foot. The balance can be held only by bending 
the upper part of the body far forward. -... ... 

Place one foot against a flat wall or other stationary 
object about a foot from the floor, and jump over it 
with the other foot without moving the first 7 j^mp 
one from the wall. If you have done this ^°°* 
with each foot, try jumping back over it as well as 



100 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

forward. Try placing the foot high on the wall and 
jumping over. Take a run at it. To succeed you 
must not place any weight on the foot which is against 
the wall. 

This is very similar in appearance to "Solid Ivory.'' 
Standing one half the height from the wall, place the 

8. Neck forehead against it. Spring back to a stand- 
Spring jj^g position by bending the knees and using 
the neck and body muscles. See how far back from 
the wall the toes can be placed and still allow one to 
spring back to a standing position. It may be wise 
to use a pad between the wall and the forehead. 

Squat down with hands flat on floor, elbows inside 

of and hard against the knees, and arms tight against 

the ribs. Lean forward slowly, placine; the 

9. Tip Up J ^ r to 

weight of the body on the hands and elbows, 
until the feet swing clear of the floor. Attempt to 
pick up a handkerchief from the floor with the teeth 
and regain the original position. This is a good exercise 
to lead up to one form of the head stand. Instead 
of attempting to pick-up anything, simply rest the 
head on the floor six or eight inches in advance of the 
hands and push the feet up in the air. This head 
stand comes easy to some boys. 

Squat on one heel with the other foot extended 
straight sidewise. Draw the extended foot under the 
body and shoot the other out to the opposite side. 




Side Neck Flop (p. 133) 



102 HEALTH BY STUNTS 



Change back and forth rapidly, keeping the upper par!; 

10. Frog of the body as upright as possible. This 
Dance ^^^ ^^ye following stunt are parts of the 
Russian Dance. 

Squat on one heel, with the other foot extended 
forward. Quickly draw the extended foot under the 

11. Bear body and shoot the other foot out, arms 
Dance extended for balance. Shift back and forth 
rapidly. Some boys will do this well on the first 
trial. 

Place a basket ball or an empty keg up against the 
wall. Back up to it with the heels close under it. By 

12. Keg springing upward with both feet, attempt to 
Kick shove the ball or the keg up as high on the 
wall as possible. This is a good one to try on your 
friends, for if it is not done correctly, it may lead to an 
amusing fall. 

Sit well back, with legs spread, in an ordinary low- 
back dining-room chair. Place the hands well back 

13. Chair between the thighs, grasping the sides of the 
stand chair seat firmly. The elbows should rest 
against the ribs, arms rigid. Lean forward slowly 
until the weight of the body rests on the elbows and 
hands as in the Tip Up, and push the feet straight up. 
Hold the position and slide back down to a sitting 
position, spreading the knees to avoid striking the 
back of the chair. 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 103 

Sit on the ground, one foot in either hand, neither 
feet nor hands touching the ground. Attempt to get 
some spring out of the body, hitching along 14 gg^jy 
as fast as possible and keeping the balance. ^^^^^^ 
It is very difficult to jump clear of the ground in this 
manner. 

Bend a piece of cardboard or paper so it will stand 
up by itself. It should be about six inches high. The 
stunt is to pick this up with the teeth by 15 crane 
bending forward from a standing position on ^^^® 
one foot. It is comparatively easy to bend forward 
from this position until the chest strikes the knee ; 
beyond that the stunt is difficult. The foot not in 
use is stretched out behind for balance. 

Place a coin on the floor behind and close against the 
left heel. Stand with knees perfectly straight, lean 
forward, grasp right toes with the right ig. stiff 
fingers, and pick up the coin with the left ^egBend 
fingers. At no time must the knees be allowed to bend. 

Group C 

This is the same as the Forward Roll except that 
the ankles are held firmly with the hands at 1 Human 
all times during several forward rolls, i^ Wheel 

First lean forward so that the hands touch the ground, 
with the knees straight. Let the body fall backwards, 
keeping it bent far forward at the hips, with the arms 



104 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

extended. As the body strikes the floor, throw the feet 
smartly over the head, finishing the same as in the 

2. Back- Back Somersault. The tendency in this 
ward Roll gtunt is to bend the knees just before striking. 
If it is done, a hard bump is the result. A good prob- 
lem for the boy to figure out is how to land without 
bumping. When a boy gets the knack, he can do it 
on the hardest floor and strike lightly. It might be 
well to figure this out before experimenting. 

f^»> Lie face downward, take hold of the ankles, and 
attempt to rock the body backward and forward. In 

3. Human Order to do this successfully ' a rigid curve 
Rocker ^ must be made of the chest and abdomen. 
Failure to succeed in this stunt at first trial should 
not discourage, for the exercise to be had simply in 
attempting it is worth a great deal. 

The rocking may be aided and increased if a second 
person takes hold of the feet and helps rock. The 
body, neck, and legs must be bent backward and held 
rigid ."{^^This ig an excellent exercise to straighten the 
shoulders, lift up the chest, and keep the upper back 
straight'. 

Place a handkerchief on the seat of a chair, with a 
corner of it hanging over the right-hand edge of the 

4. Chair chair. Sit down o'n the chair, with the legs 
Creeper ^^^^ ^^ right-hand edge, then grasp the 
back of the chair^ and lie down on your right side on 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 105 

the seat. With head and shoulders in advance^ creep 
around the back of the chair, attempting to reach far 
enough around to pick up the handkerchief with the 
teeth and return to a sitting position in the chair 
without tipping it over or touching the floor. 

To make this stunt harder, place the handkerchief 
nearer the front of the chair. Any hold on the chair 
may be taken as long as the hands do not touch the 
floor. 

Drop to a full squat, with knees bent and spread, 
arms crossed in front of the body, upper part of the 
body erect, and weight resting on toes. 5 jumping 
From this position spring immediately to a ^^^^ 
standing position, with the knees straight, weight 
resting on heels, toes pointing up, feet about eighteen 
inches apart, hands extended sidewise. Repeat the 
squatting and rising motion several times rapidly, 
without losing the balance. 

Hold a round stick or broom handle in front of the 
body with both hands, palms down. Holding the stick 
firmly, cross arms, with palms up and put the g Human 
head through the triangle formed by the stick ^^°* 
and the arms so that the right hand rests on the left 
shoulder, the left hand rests on the right shoulder, and 
the stick across the back of the neck. Work the 
stick down over the back without losing the -original 
hold, until it is possible to step back over the stick 



106 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

with both feet. Reverse by stepping into the loop 
and going through in the opposite direction. 

Hold a light, small stick in the fingers in front of body. 
Jump over the stick without letting go of it or touching 

7. Jump it with the feet. Jump back. Try to go 
^^^^^ back and forth rapidly several times. In 
learning this, limber up the legs before trying, and on 
the jump raise the knees as high up under the chin as 
possible. This exercise will develop a good spring. 
Practice by bringing one knee up against the chest hard 
several times and stepping over the stick and back. 
Jumping the stick is mostly a question of pep and 
doing the right thing at the right time. 

One form of the Head Stand has already been 
described under ^^Tip Up." This is probably the 

8. Head simplest Way of learning. Another form of 
stand Head Stand is done by kneeling and placing 
both elbows on the floor and the head in both hands. 
From this position push the feet to a vertical position 
and hold for at least ten seconds. 

Still another form is done by kneeling with arms 
folded and placing the elbows on the floor, the head 
several inches in front of them, and pushing the feet 
up as before. 

This is an excellent event from a good many stand- 
points. There is keen enjoyment for one who executes 
it well. It holds the interest, is spectacular, and is of 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 107 

much physical and mental value. It is distinctly 
different from the high dive into water. It 9. High 
is done over a bar set on standards as in the ^^^® 
high jump. 

Put the bar down low to begin with. Do a 
small somersault over the bar without knocking it off. 
Then raise the bar gradually until it is necessary to 
spring well up into the air in order to clear it. If no 
standards or bar are handy, try having another boy 
get down on his hands and knees and dive over him. 
Let him raise himself higher and higher as the contestant 
becomes more proficient. 

In learning, a gymnasium mat or an ordinary mattress 
or hay should be used to light upon. Take a running 
start, and to clear the bar spring from both feet as one 
would from a spring board when diving in the water. 
Land squarely on both hands with arms straight 
out at full length. The moment the hands strike the 
mat, duck the head and bend the elbows, thus allow- 
ing the wrists and shoulders to take the force of the 
fall. If the head is not ducked quickly enough it is 
apt to be bumped. On the other hand, if the head 
is ducked too soon and too violently, one will miss 
landing on his shoulders and will be thrown down 
farther on his back. With a little practice this stunt 
should be easily perfected. Some boys dive over 
fences, hedges, or almost anything that obstructs 



108 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

their path. One may learn to do it so well that hard 
ground has no terrors. One group of boys at a demon- 
stration in a high school gymnasium dived more than 
three feet high with nothing but the hard floor on 
which to land. Other boys have been able to dive 
more than five feet high, with mats to land on. A per- 
son should be able to dive higher than he can jump. 
This is learned in much the same way as the high 
dive only instead of trying for height , try for distance. 

10. Dis- Dive first over one boy, then over two, and 

tanceDive g^ ^^ ^^ ^^j. g^g ^^^ jg ^-^^e tO gO. Some 

boys in the elementary schools of Detroit are able to 
dive over fourteen boys kneeling side by side. It is 
important in both of these dives that the arms hold 
one up a fraction of a second after lighting on the 
hands, so that time may be given for ducking the head. 
The final landing is squarely on the shoulders, after 
which the roll over on to the feet is completed. When 
done correctly, there is no bump or jar. 

Stand erect with left hand at the side, fingers spread, 
palm down, and right hand raised over the head. 

11. Cart Incline the body directly to the left side, 
Wheel throw the right foot in the air, the left hand 
striking the ground. Follow immediately by the right 
hand and then by the right foot, the left foot striking 
last. When done correctly, the body has the appear- 
ance of a wheel ; the arms and legs are the spokes. 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 109 

The more rigid the body is kept, the better is the 
appearance of the stunt ; feet must travel straight up 
in the air over the head. 

Take a squat position, grasping a stick in front of 
the body with both hands, palms a foot apart and 
turned upward. The feet also should be 12. under 
about a foot apart. Keep the balance and ^^^^^ 
turn, placing one end of the stick on the ground, 
straight behind the back and about half the length of 
the body from the feet. The lower hand should be 
less than one foot from the ground. Then, arching the 
back, try to turn the head under the lower arm, 
twisting upward to an erect position without moving 
the stick at its base or losing the balance. 

Learn to do this first with the stick pressed against 
a corner or something that will hold it securely. 
Work on it until it can be done with the stick resting 
on a smooth floor with no support. This is almost 
entirely a question of balance. If one is able to keep 
the stick firmly upright in an absolutely perpendicular 
position during a complete turn, there will be no 
trouble about the balance. 

This is like base sliding. It makes a good stunt 
anywhere and especially when done on a smooth, 
hardwood floor. Take a running start and 13, KeUy 
throw the body headlong, keeping the head ^^^^ 
up and sliding on the arms and stomach. By placing 



no HEALTH BY STUNTS 

two boys facing each other^ with their arms locked and 
legs straddled; an opening is made for a boy to slide 
through. A group of six or eight boys, tearing into 
this stunt as hard as they can, makes an interesting per- 
formance. A group of six or eight boys can slide from 
twelve to eighteen feet on an ordinary schoolroom 
floor. This may be done feet first as well as head first. 
It takes nerve and good motor control. Very few 
boys know how to slide bases, fall on a football, or 
tackle a tackling dummy. Kelly Slide is a very good 
exercise to lead up to these things. It is a good thing 
to begin practicing this running dive and to slide 
where the ground is soft, or on a hard, smooth, polished 
surface. 

Boy No. 1 kneels down on the ground. Boy No. 2 
sits on or holds firmly the heels of Boy No. 1, who then 

14. Body leans forward slowly, and reaches as far 
Reach / forward on the ground as it is possible to 
extend the body and still be able to return to the original 
position. This may be used in competition by marking 
with a piece of chalk as far out in front as it is possible 
to reach. 

Stand on the hands, arms straight, feet against the 
„ , wall. The head should be bent far back, and 

15. Hand ^ 

Stand the feet should be straight up in the air. Bend 

the arms slowly, letting the body down until 

the head touches the ground. Push up again immedi- 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 111 

ately until the arms are straight. Do this several 
times. 

This is done the same as the floor dip, excepting 
that the hands are near enough together for the four 
fingers and thumbs to be touching it. From le. jwo- 
this space left between the hands pick up a ^^"^ ^^^ 
small object. 

Lie on the back with arms to side. Kick the right 
foot up hard enough to bring the body up on to the 
right shoulder and turning over face down- 17 pjsh 
ward, with the head pointing in the opposite ^^°p 
direction. This can be done so that the body will 
land in almost the same original place on the ground, 
only it will be turned over and pointing in the opposite 
direction. 

Group D 

Grasp the left foot at the toes with the fingers of 
the right hand, bending the knee outward as far as 
possible. Jump over the left foot with the 1. Toe 
right foot without letting go with the fingers. ^^^^ 
Jump forward and backward rapidly. 

Stand beside a chair and grasp the front part of the 
seat with one hand and the top of the back of the 
chair with the other. Bend forward and ^ „. , ^ 

2. Right 

balance the body on the elbow over the Arm chair 
hand which is on the seat. From this bal- 
ance position, extend the feet upward. 



112 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

Grasp the seat of an ordinary low, straight-back 

chair with one hand and the back with the other. 

Spring up with the feet extended over the 

3. Left 

Arm Chair head as in the Head Stand. Keep rigid the 
arm extended to the seat. Flex the other 
arm so that part of the weight of the body rests on the 
shoulder, touching the back of the chair. 

Hold the hands, palms up, low, in front of the body 
so that only the ends of the middle fingers touch each 

4. Finger other. Jump forward and backward over 
Jump ^Yie fingers without pulling them apart. 

This is similar to Under Stick, but is much more 
difficult to execute. Clench the left fist, and grasp 

5. Under ^^e wrist with the right hand. Come to a 
^^ full squat, turn, placing the fist directly 
behind the back on the ground, and try to turn the 
head under the lower arm. The back must be kept 
arched and the chest well up. 

Place both hands flat on the floor. Slide the feet 
straight back with the body extended and rigid. 

6. One- Remove one hand from the floor so that the 
Hand Dip weight rests mostly on the one arm. Let the 
body down by bending the arm until it is possible with 
the lips to pick up a handkerchief or other object held 
between the thumb and fingers of the hand on the floor, 
and push back to arm's length again. This stunt will 
take a good deal of practice but it is worth while. 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 113 

This may be done on the ground or on a table. The 
object is to hold the weight of the body on one arm 
with the body extended horizontally. Place 7, Hand 
one hand firmly on the edge of the table or on ^^^^^ce 
the ground with the elbow in tight against the ribs. 
Raise the feet and lower the upper part of the body 
until the horizontal position is acquired. The im- 
portant point is to keep the elbow in close and slightly 
under the body at the ribs to afford a purchase. 

It is best to learn to do the hand spring on soft 
ground, sawdust, or on a mat. Some boys learn more 
easily by turning over a boy who is on his g. Hand 
knees. In doing this take a short run and Sp"^s 
place the hands on the ground close up against the body 
of the other boy. Throw the feet up sharply over 
the head, keeping the arms rigid until almost the last 
moment before going clear over. Then bend them 
slightly at the elbows and straighten them out quickly, 
thus giving enough spring to force the feet over 
on to the ground and bring the body upright. If one 
fails to make it completely, the boy underneath will 
save him from a fall on his back. Gradually one 
gets so that he can do this without the aid of any- 
one underneath. If the spring with the arms is given 
at just the right second, as the feet are traveling at 
their fastest, one should be able to make a complete 
turn and come up standing on his feet. Grit and 





Back Spring (p. 119) Sack of Wheat (p. 124) 

114 



> 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 115 

perseverance will help to master this stunt in a very 
short time. 

The contestant should place his hands and head 
on the ground as in the Forward Roll and throw his 
feet up exactly as though he were going to 9. Head 
roll over on to his back. Just as the feet Sp"^s 
arrive at the right position over the head, a flip or a 
spring with the arms, as in the handspring, will 
bring him on to his feet without having touched his 
back to the ground. In this the head, shoulders, 
hands, and feet are the only parts of the body to 
touch the ground. 

After the head spring has been done two or three 
times, it is possible for some boys to learn to do it in 
a little different manner. Start by lying 10. shoui- 
down on the back with the hands beside derSpnng 
the head and rolling the body up on to the shoulders. 
By giving a quick flip forward and down with the feet, 
pushing upward with the head, hands, and shoulders, 
it is possible to land on the feet without touching any 
other part of the body to the ground. This is a stunt 
very often seen on the stage as a basis for part of the 
tumbling. It is also called the snap up. 

This stunt needs very little description as its name 
tells what must be done. Go to a hand n Hand 
stand with the feet above the head and used ^^^^ 
as a balance. Attempt to walk on the hands. If 



116 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

the head is used in connection with the first method 
of balance, this stunt may be learned very easily, 
i.e. keep the head bent far back. 

Take an ordinary stick about four feet long, the 
size of a shovel handle. Toe a mark and place one 

12. Gorilla 6nd of the stick in front of the feet at a 
Swing distance equal to the height of the body from 
the feet to the shoulders. Take a firm hold of the top 
of the stick with the right hand and swing the body 
forward, making a mark on the ground with the left hand 
as far forward as you can reach. Bring the body to a 
standing position again without resting any part of it on 
the ground. A perfect performance of this stunt would 
be to reach a distance in front of the mark equal to the 
height that can be reached on a wall from the tiptoes. 
The stick must be firmly braced at the lower end. 

Lean over and take hold of the toes of the shoes, 
grasping them between thumb and fingers. Keeping 

13. Heel ^ tight hold, jump over a lead pencil or other 
Jump object on the floor. The stunt is to see how 
far one can jump without letting go of the toes. It is 
unusual to find anyone who at first can jump at all in 
this manner. 

The contestant measures on a stick the length of 

14. Back- liis arm. Holding the stick straight up in 
ward Bend ^^yq air in front of his face and over his head 
he bends backward, feet well apart, until the stick 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 117 

touches the floor behind him. The distance from 
the end of the stick touching the floor to the point 
held in front of the face should equal the length of 
the arm. 

Lie on the back, then arch it and lift the hips so 
that the weight rests only on the back of the head and 
on the feet. With the head as a center, run 15 Merry- 
around in a circle with the feet. To learn, <^o-Round 
and before the neck is strong enough, use the hands 
placed by the side of the head to assist. It is impossible 
to do this stunt unless the neck has been more than 
usually developed. 

In going around the head the body will have a roll- 
ing motion alternating with front and back upward. 
The steps will vary in length. 

Come to a hand stand with the feet straight up over 
the head, balance perfect, the head well back — then, 
by bending the arms swiftly at the elbows, iq chest 
drop to the floor, striking on the chest and ^^^® 
rocking from chest to abdomen, to thighs, to knees, 
and up on to the feet so that the finish is in a standing 
position. This is practically a reverse of the ^'Forward 
Fall." 

Boy No. 1 lies on the ground face downward with 
neck, body, and legs rigid. Boy No. 2 clasps 17 buU 
his hands under the forehead and lifts boy ^®^^ 
No. 1 to a standing position as though he were made 



118 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

of wood. The muscles used in doing this stunt are 
poorly developed in most people. Those in the neck 
are almost entirely so. Very few can do this stunt. 

Most neck muscles are so weak that one finger 
pressed against the forehead will push it backward. 

COMBINATION STUNTS 

Group A 

Combination stunts are those in which two or more 
boys participate. The groups and the stunts in each 
group are described as follows : 

Two boys stand facing each other. Boy No. 1 
puts his right foot in the right hand of boy No. 2 ; 

1. Wheel- turns his back^ and drops down on his hands,- 
Barrow ^^ ^]^g Same time putting his left foot in the 
left hand of boy No. 2 ; then the wheel-barrow is 
ready. Boy No. 1 walks on his hands and boy No. 

2, by taking hold of his ankles^ pushes him along as 
he would a wheel-barrow. 

From the wheel-barrow position, the first boy 

backs up and locks his legs around the body of the 

wheeler, with his heels pressed a2;ainst the 

2. Jumping ^ . . 

Wheel- back of No. 2, which assists boy No. 1 to 
jump with his hands. Boy No. 2 assists 
the barrow to go by lifting No. 1 at the hips. 

Boy No. 1 bends forward with arms between thighs. 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 119 

Boy No. 2 pretends to strike him vigorously on each 
cheek with the palm of his hand, alter- 
nately with right and left, using full swing 
of the arm, but stopping each blow as it reaches 
the face of No. 1. As each hand reaches the face, 
boy No. 1, whose hands are between his legs and can- 
not be seen, spats them loudly. This makes it appear 
that boy No. 1 is getting the full force of the blows. 

Boy No. 1 takes a position on the ground on his 
hands and knees. Boy No. 2, with a running start, 
throws his hands to the ground, as in turning 4 Back 
a handspring, close up beside the first boy, ^^"^^ "^^ 
and turns a flip over his back. To learn this well, 
the boy underneath should raise his back slightly 
just as he feels the pressure of the first boy going over 
him. This will give sufficient spring to throw him up 
on to his feet in good form. As No. 2 progresses, he 
will learn to use the spring in his own body, and in 
this way will learn to turn a handspring. 

This stunt is not at all dangerous. Boys of any age 
or size may do it. It is always fun, and one boy on his 
hands and knees can handle almost any number of 
boys, — that is, they can run and flop over him just 
as fast as they can without being in each other^s way. 
It is good for the kindergarten as well as for the eighth 
grade. 

Boy No. 1 stands in front and facing in the same 



120 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

direction as boy No. 2, who grasps the top of the 
trousers of boy No. 1. Boy No. 1, with 

5. Tandem ^ ^ ' 

the assistance of boy No. 2, jumps and locks 
his legs around the body of No. 2, and leans forward 
until No. I's hands touch the ground. Then they 
walk in this position. 

Two boys stand facing each other ; boy No. 1 grasps 
boy No. 2 by the top of the trousers. Boy No. 2 at 

6. Elephant ^^^ Same time jumps and locks his legs high 
^^^^ up under the arms of No. 1, then lets his arms 
and the upper part of his body fall backward, swinging 
back between the legs of boy No. 1. After passing 
through the legs, he grasps No. 1 by the heels with 
both hands. No. 1 falls forward on his hands and 
walks on all fours like an elephant. Boy No. 2 pushes 
up until his arms are straight, his head high, and his 
back arched. When two boys go along rapidly this 
way, it quite resembles the walk of an elephant. 
Boy No. 2 may assist in the walk by lifting alternately 
on the ankles of boy No. 1 as he steps. Boy No. 2 
returns to the first position simply by swinging back 
through between the legs, assisted by boy No. 1, 
unlocking his feet as he completes the swing and 
dropping to his feet. 

This is very similar to the Elephant Walk except 
that boy No. 1, instead of jumping up and locking his 
legs around No. 2 from a position facing No. 2, turns' 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 121 

around and jumps up backward and locks his legs 
high up under the arms of No. 2. Then he crawls 
through between the legs of No. 2^ and takes 7. camei 
hold of his ankles as before. This time he ^^^^ 
will be looking up over boy No. 2's back instead of 
away from him. No. 2 falls over on to his hands 
and walks on all fours as in the Elephant Walk. 

Boy No. 1 stands ready with hands clasped and rest- 
ing against left leg. Boy No. 2^ with a running start, 
places his right foot in the locked hands, 8. Hand 
grasps No. 1 by the head and vaults over J^™p 
his shoulder, aided by a lift from the hands of No. 1. 

Two boys get down on the floor side by side, a boy's 
length apart, with their fronts turned upward, their 
bodies supported by their feet and hands, and 9, Human 
their stomach muscles rigid. Boy No. 3 ^ndge^^^ 
then lies, face up, across their middles, with his head 
resting on one and his feet on the other, his body straight 
and rigid, his hands locked across his chest. This 
position should be held several seconds. This human 
bridge can be built two and even three stories high. 

Form a circle with one boy standing rigidly in the 
center with his whole body stiff and his arms held 
stiffly at his sides. In this position he is 
easily tipped over as though he were wooden. 
He does nothing to catch himself at any time, being 
kept from falling by the other boys, who catch 



122 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

him as he tips toward them and then give him a 
push in another direction, thus keeping him in constant 
motion. Each time he is to be turned while perpen- 
dicular so that his back will be toward the boy who is 
to catch him. At last he may be laid out on his 
back and four boys carry him away on two broom 
handles with one under his neck and the other under 
his ankles. 

Group B 
Two boys stand facing each other about three feet 
apart; with their right hands clasped. Boy No. 1 
throws his right leg over locked hands and 

1. Twister 

head to a straddle position, with his back to 
boy No. 2. Boy No. 2 follows with his left leg to same 
position, so that they are back to back. Boy No. 1 
follows with his left leg, returning to his original 
position. Boy No. 2 follows with his right leg. This 
should be continued indefinitely and very rapidly. It 
may be done on the same spot or may have a rolling 
motion. The hands must be clasped throughout. 

Boy No. 1 faces boy No. 2 and leans forward toward 
him, extending his hands backward between his own 

2. Front legs. Boy No. 2 leans over him and grasps 
straddle ^-^^ extended hands. A quick lift by boy 
No. 2 will flip boy No. 1 over on to his feet. Both 
boys should be facing each other at the finish, stand- 
ing in an upright position. 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 123 

The boys stand as before except that boy No. 1 
faces in the same direction as boy No. 2, leans 
forward; and extends his hands backward 3_ Back 
between his legs toward boy No. 2, who straddle 
grasps the extended hands and lifts him over on to his 
feet. They will finish in the position from which they 
started. 

Two boys stand facing each other. Boy No. 1 
grasps the right hand of boy No. 2 with his left; and 
the left hand of boy No. 2 with his right. 

•^ ^4. Flopper 

A third boy, with a short running start, 
thrusts his head over the first barrier of arms and 
under the second ; that is, he starts to dive through 
the opening made by the two sets of arms. Boys No. 
1 and 2 lift up on set of arms No. 1 and force boy No. 
3 to turn a somersault in the air, landing him on his 
feet on the opposite side from which he started. He 
may be flipped completely clear of the arms or he 
may be held with his head still in the opening and 
flipped back to his original position. Try lining up a 
group of boys and flipping one through after another as 
fa^ as they come. 
v\fi/This stunt is . done by one boy turning a hand- 
^ spring from another boy's knees. Boy No. 1 lies on 
his back with his knees up and his feet flat 5. Knee)/^ 
on the ground. Boy No. 2 takes a short run Sp""s ^.^ 
toward him, placing his hands on the knees of boy- ^ 



124 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

No. 1; and flipping his feet up over his head. Boy No. 2 
aids him in landing by placing his hands so that the 
back of boy No. 2 will strike them as he comes over. 
This holds him from falling and gives him the spring 
necessary to turn completely over on to his feet. ^ 

Boy No. 2 bends forward, grasping the ankles of boy 
No. 1; who falls backward; lying at full length on the 

6. Bobbin back of boy No. 2. The latter lifts straight 
Back yp^ letting boy No. 1 slide down until his 
hands touch the ground, when he releases his feet, 
letting them fall easily to the ground, from which posi- 
tion No. 1 grasps the ankles of No. 2 and repeats the 
operations. 

Boy No. 1 faces boy No. 2 ; leans over, placing 
his head in the stomach of boy No. 2, who grasps him 

7. Sack of around the middle like a sack of wheat, and 
Wheat lifting, throws him up over his shoulder. 
The landing is made by boy No. 1 turning over No. 
2's shoulder, and sliding down his back on to his feet. 
This can be done effectively with several boys in 
succession and is a very good medium-strength exercise. 

This is a popular and useful form of amusement. 
It is one of the competitive stunts adopted by boy 

8. WaU scouts and military organizations. A group 
ScaUng q£ from two to twenty or more boys start at 
a given wall high enough so that the top cannot be 
reached from the ground. The boys are to get all 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 125 

their number over the wall in the shortest possible 
space of time. The method usually adopted is to 
have the largest and strongest boy stand with his 
back to the wall, his hands locked in front of him, 
palms up, and to have the others run at him, in suc- 
cession, step in his hands, and spring to a hold on the 
top with his aid. When all but two have dropped 
down on the other side, these last two lean over from 
the top and pull over the boy who has done the lifting 
by hoisting him by the arms. Two or more squads 
can compete and cut the time down to a minimum. 
It is good exercise and a valuable accomplishment. 

Two boys clasp both hands facing each other. Boy 
No. 1 bends left knee ; boy No. 2 places left foot on 
the bent thigh, just above the knee, springs, 9. straddle 
and lands astraddle the neck of No. 1, both ^^^^ 
boys facing in the same direction. 

Get a boy to stand limply as though he were unable 
to stand or walk a step. Take a firm hold of him by 
grasping his right wrist with the left hand, 
and leaning down, throw your right arm ing 
between his legs, and around his right thigh 
with your right shoulder in the pit of his stomach. 
Draw his right arm across over the back of your neck, 
then by simply standing up to a nearly erect position 
you will have the injured one across your shoulders 
in a fairly comfortable position for carrying. Make 







«,3Si 








Jump Foot (p. 99) Front Straddle (p. 122) 

126 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 127 

the adjustment before you stand erect so that his 
weight is well balanced and not all on one side. This 
is a good thing to know how to do. 

^ Group C 

Boy No. 1 jumps on the back of boy No. 2 and 
locks his legs squarely around No. 2's body. Boy 
No. 2 leans forward until both boys can place i cen- 
their hands flat on the floor. They walk *^p®^® 
in this position. There will be two sets of hands and 
one set of feet on the floor. After trying this^ have 
another boy dimb on boy No. 1 and clamp his knees 
against his waist with a foot along either hip^ placing 
his hands on the floor^ ahead of the other two. Then 
there are three sets of arms and one pair of legs. Try 
to walk all together. This can be extended indef- 
initely if some care is taken to get the extra boys 
clamped on in the right position. 

Boy No. 1 lies on his back^ boy No. 2 standing over 
him facing toward his feet^ one foot on each side of 
No. I's head. Boy No. 1 grasps the ankles 2. Eskimo 
of the boy standing over him and brings his ^°^^ 
feet up in the air so that No. 2 can grasp his ankles. 
Keeping this exact position, boy No. 2 dives forward, 
using the feet of boy No. 1 as a bumper, ducks his 
head, and rolls over on to his back, pulling boy No. 1 
with him. This reverses the position of the two boys 



128 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

and No. 1 dives over No. 2. This may be continued 
rapidly five or six times in one direction and later 
it may be tried backward, the boy in the standing 
position sitting down rapidly and pulling the other 
boy back over his head on to hi« own feet and so on. 
This is a stunt very often seen in comic acts on the 
vaudeville stage. It can be made to look very 
spectacular if the dive is made as high as the full 
length of the arms and legs will allow. At no time is 
the grip originally taken on the ankles to be changed. 

This is just the reverse of the Eskimo Roll. After 
2(a). Back ^wo boys have made several revolutions in 
Eskimo Roll ^^^ direction from the same position they 
roll backwards, back to the original starting place. 

Two boys lock elbows with backs together in a 
standing position. Boy No. 1 leans forward, pulling 

3. Elbow boy No. 2 off his feet and rolling him over 
^°^^ his back so that he lands on his feet facing i 
boy No. 1. This should be done carefully at first ' 
and care should be taken not to let boy No. 2 slip 

at all as he comes over. He should be held tightly 
to the back of No. 1 so that no fall will result. 

Two boys stand facing each other. Boy No. 1, M 
palms turned upward, clasps the hands of boy No. 2. ■ 
They then turn their backs together, hands 

4. Arm Roll 

still clasped and extended above their heads. 
Boy No. 1 leans forward, pulling No. 2 off his feet and 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 129 

i rolling him over his back^ as in the Elbow Roll. By- 
giving a slight lift to the hands of No. 2 as he goes 
over, he will be flipped on to his feet in perfect safety. 
Boy No. 2 throws boy No. 1 over his head and the 
stunt is continued without letting go of the hands. 

Boy No. 1 lies on his back with his knees up and his 
feet on the ground as in the ^^Knee Spring." Boy 
No. 2 places his hands on the raised knees, 5. shoulder 
rests his shoulders on the hands of boy No. 1, ^*^^^ 
who pushes upward to support them, then slowly 
raises his legs until he comes to a balance in a per- 
pendicular position. He should hold this position 
for a few seconds before falling back to the original 
position. 

Two boys stand facing in the feame direction and 
several feet apart. Boy No. 2 stands on his hands, 
close up to the heels of No. 1, and throws ^ Bobbin 
his heels up over the shoulders of No. 1, ^^^^^ 
who grasps his ankles and, by leaning forward, bobs 
him up on his back, from which position boy No. 2 
slides down over his neck and lands on his feet. Imme- 
diately boy No. 1 stands on his hands, throwing his 
feet over the shoulders of No. 2, and the operation is 
repeated. 

In this stunt a sack of wheat or a boy with muscles 
limp is used.. It requires some skill as well as strength 
to shoulder an object weighing within three quarters 



130 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

of the weight of the individual doing the shouldering. 
It is also quite a stunt to be able to keep oneself limp 
7. Shoui- while another is trying to do the shoulder- 
dering ^^^ q^j^^g gj^ould require no further explana- 

tion ; the boy being shouldered simply is lifted across 
either shoulder and carried. 

Boy No. 1 lies on his back with his knees up. Boy 
No. 2 grasps his hands and stands with a foot on either 
„ _ side of his head, facing toward the feet of 

Stand No. 1. With arms rigid; boy No. 2 swings to 

Balance _-^ 

a squat position^ feet on the knees of boy No. 
1. Boy No. 2 leans forward and pulls No. 1 to a half 
squat position, balances for several seconds, returns 
to original position, or jumps from balance to neck- 
straddle position. 

Boy No. 1 lies on his back, with knees up and feet 
against the stomach of boy No. 2, grasps No. 2 by 

9. Front the slioulders or hands and uses toes against 
Foot Flip ^Yie stomach of boy No. 1, flipping him over 
his head, boy No. 2 landing on his own feet. 

This is done the same as the Stomach Flip, excepting 
that boy No. 1 leans backward and sits on the feet of 

10. Back boy No. 2, who grasps him by the shoulders 
Foot Flip Qj. hands, and flips him over on to his feet. 

Two boys stand facing in the same direction, with a 
third boy facing them at a distance of about six feet. 
The middle boy (No. 1) turns a somersault toward 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 131 

the third boy (No. 3)^ who dives over him as he is 
coming up. The remaining boy (No. 2) then dives 
over No. 3 as he is coming up. In the mean- n xripie 
time, No. 1 has come to his feet and turns ^^^® 
ready to dive back over No. 3 while he is down. No. 
2 then goes back over No. 1 and No. 3 over No. 2. 
This is kept up indefinitely, each boy diving over the 
one who is down in turn and coming to his feet, turns, 
and dives back again. Thus all three are diving, 
turning, and diving as fast as they can travel. The 
diving is done as described in the ^^ Distance Dive.'* 
It simply amounts to turning a somersault over the 
other boys. 

Boy No. 1 gets down on hands and knees. Two other 
boys sit down,, one on each side of the first boy, and place 
their legs across his back in such a manner that 12. wind- 
boy No. 2 can grasp the feet of boy No. 3, ^^^^ 
one with each hand, and boy No. 3 grasps No. 2's 
feet in like manner, thus locking each other securely 
across the back of No. 1. The first boy then stands up 
slowly, being careful to keep his balance, and throws his 
arms backward over the heads of the other two boys, 
grasping them so that they will not slide down. The 
windmill is now ready to turn. Boy No. 1 turns round 
and round, twirling the other two as he does so. By 
revolving rapidly he can give the others a sensa- 
tional ride. 



132 HEALTH BY STUNTS 



Two boys stand facing each other and clasp hands 
(No. I's right in No. 2's left and vice versa). Boy 
13. Rocking No. 1 then sits down astride No. 2's feet 
Horse ^^^ raises his own feet up so that it appears 

as if No. 2 is sitting or resting against the toes 
of his shoes. The rocking horse is now ready for 
operation. Boy No. 2 sits down quickly, which brings 
No. I's feet to the ground under No. 2's and at the 
same time No. 2's feet come up helping to lift No. 1 
to a standing position. The two boys have thus re- 
versed positions. Boy No. 1 then sits down rapidly, 
almost falling backwards. He is kept from bumping 
by the feet of No. 2, which are pressed upward by keep- 
ing the knee and hip joints rigid and which ease No. 
1 down gently. This brings No. 2 to his feet and so 
they rock back and forth. To add a thrill to the stunt 
each boy as he comes to his feet keeps up his forward 
motion until he almost goes head first over the other 
boy, stopped only at the last second by the pressure 
of the other's hand on his. At the finish of the rock- 
ing, one boy may go clear over the other boy, turning a 
somersault beyond. 

Group D 

This stunt is done the same as the Back Toss 
1. Front except that boy No. 1, in starting the stunt, 
'^^^^ lies face down along the back. 

Two boys stand facing in the same direction about 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 133 

two feet apart. Boy No. 1 bends forward toward 
boy No. 2. Boy No. 2 lies backward on the 2. Back 
back of No. 1 and grasps his belt. From, ■'•^^^ 
this position boy No. 1 gives boy No. 2 a toss over his 
head, No. 2 landing on his feet behind No. 1. This 
may be done without grasping the belt. 

Two boys stand facing the same direction, one 
behind the other and close together. Boy No. 1, in 
front, reaches his right arm over his left 3 ^eck 
shoulder, grasps the back of the neck of boy ^^°p 
No. 2, and flops him over his shoulder on to his feet. 
This can also be done from the side by using the arm 
on the same instead of the opposite side of the head. 

Boy No. 1 lies on his back and lifts his body up 
until he is resting on his head and hands at one end, 
and on his feet at the other. He curves his 4 Human 
body well upward, and makes it rigid so that ^^^ 
it will hold the weight of another boy. Boy No. 2 
places his hands on the knees, and his head on the 
middle of boy No. 1, who is the Human Arch, and 
proceeds to a head stand. 

Two boys stand facing in the same direction about 
two feet apart. Boy No. 1, who is in front, leans 
backward with arms above head and grasps 5^ Giant 
No. 2 about the waist. No. 2 grasps No. 1 ^°^ 
about the waist at the same time ; then No. 1 kicks 
up his feet and is lifted up over the shoulder of No. 2 



134 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

and down to the ground on the other side. Continue 
with boy No. 1 Hfting boy No. 2. 

This is the same as ^^ Straddle Jump/' except that 
boy No. 2 lands on the shoulders of No. 1, standing in 

6. Shoulder ^n Upright position instead of sitting straddle 
Jump q£ ^Yie neck. After getting his balance, boy 
No. 2 should be able to release his hold on the hands of 
No. 1 and balance himself upright on his shoulders. 

From standing on the shoulders of boy No. 2, both 
boys clasp hands, and No. 1 dives forward and flips 

7. Shoulder i^ ^^^ ^^^) landing on his feet in front of boy 
^*^® No. 2. By giving the right jerk on the 
hands, No. 2 may easily assist him to land squarely 
on his feet. 

Boy No. 1 stands braced with both hands locked in 
front of him, palms up. Boy No. 2 runs toward him, 

8. Hand ^^^ placing one foot in the locked hands of 
^^P boy No. 1, springs up and turns a back 
somersault in the air, assisted by boy No. 1. Boy No. 
2 should have snugly tied around his middle a strong 
rope with an end extending three feet on either side 
and one assistant on each side holding an end to 
prevent a fall. 

Boy No. 1 grasps the hands of boy No. 2 while both 

9. Double are facing in the same direction. Boy No. 
stand ^ jumps, assisted by boy No. 2, and lands 
on the latter's shoulders. 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 135 

Pyramids may be formed in a great many different 
ways and with a varying number of boys. This 
subject has been treated extensively in other lo. Pyra- 
books and will not be developed here, except ^^^^ 
to mention the simplest and most common form. One 
good feature of this kind of stunt is that it provides a 
field for the inventive genius of the boy. Any number 
of different arrangements and combinations can be 
thought up and tried out. 

In the regular pyramid a base is formed of any 
number of boys, say four, who get dowA side by 
side on their hands and knees with their backs 
straight and horizontal and heads on a line to make 
a rectangular base. Then three boys climb up on 
them. Each kneels with one knee and one hand 
on one boy and the other knee and hand on the boy 
next to him. Two others then climb up to a similar 
position on their backs, and finally one boy climbs to 
the top and finishes the pyramid. After the last boy 
is up, and at a given signal, all boys straighten out, 
thus letting the whole pile collapse suddenly. 

Have one boy get down on his hands and knees 
and another one in a similar position, just far enough 
away for the diver to get his hands on the H- Diving 

Hand- 
floor between them. A third boy, the diver, spring 

with a running start, dives over boy No. 1 and turns a 

handspring over boy No. 2, using the back of the 



136 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

latter to assist him in his spring. Try having two 
boys in place of boy No. 1 to dive over^ leaving boy 
No. 2 as he was. This may be worked up to the point 
where eight or nine boys are dived over before turning 
the handspring over boy No. 2. 

This stunt was worked up by the boys in one of the 
Detroit elementary schools entirely on their own 
initiative. 

Boy No. 1 stands erect and grasps the ankles of boy 

No. 2, who stands on his hands in front of him. Boy 

No. 2 then takes hold of the first boy's ankles 

12. The ' , .... 

Human and holds his body rigid. A third boy kneels 

Teeter 

down on his hands and knees close up to the 
head of boy No. 2. No. 1 then pushes No. 2 over 
backward across the back of No. 3 so that No. 2 comes 
up on his feet on the other side and No. 1 is upside 
down. This operation is then reversed so that No. 1 
again is upright and No. 2 is upside down. They 
rock back and forth in this manner across the back of 
No. 3, who continues to hold his original position. 

Two boys shake hands. Boy No. 1 gives a quick 
downward jerk on the hand of No. 2, leaning slightly 

13. Friend- forward as he does so. No. 2 with a strong 
ship Spring gppjng, assisted by his grip on No. I's hand, 
turns a flip in the air and lands on the back of No. 1, 
who then stands erect, letting him slide to his feet. 
This is very effective with an audience when worked 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 137 

smoothly. Both boys' feet must be well apart and 
firmly set to brace the body in starting the stunt. 

Boy No. 1 bends forward from the hips and braces 
'himself as he would for leap-frog. Boy No. 2, with a 
running start, comes from behind, places his 14 piying 
hands on the first boy's back at the belt, and Somersault 
with a good spring ducks his head under and turns a 
somersault on his back, rolling off over No. I's head, 
and landing on his feet in front of him. 

This may also be done by having three boys bend 
over with their heads together and their backs close 
enough together so that the boy who turns the somer- 
sault has three backs to support him instead of one. 

This is exactly the same as the Cart Wheel except 
that it is done by two boys instead of one. They face 
each other and are tied together at the 15 Double 
waist by two belts or a piece of rope. They ^^^ wheel 
should stand as close together as possible. At a given 
signal they begin the cart wheel simultaneously, both 
of course going in the same direction. Thus one will 
turn a right-handed cart wheel and the other a left. 
This is very neat when done smoothly. Naturally a 
fall will result if both do not turn in unison. 

This is very similar to the triple dive ; not so hard 
to learn but rather more difficult to do with ig Triple 
good iorm. Three boys start out by getting ^°^ 
down on their hands and knees with their sides to 



138 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

each other and their heads all in the same direction. 
Boy No. 1 is in the middle and starts the stunt by 
rolling sidewise toward boy No. 2, who is about five 
feet away to the left. As boy No. 1 rolls up to boy 
No. 2 the latter leaps upward from all fours to avoid 
being bumped by the rolling body of No. 1. As he 
falls he lands on his side, on the other side of the first 
boy, who rolls under him, and rolls toward No. 3. No. 3 
leaps upward in his turn falling over No. 2, and rolling 
back towards No. 1, who has stopped his roll and come 
back to his hands and knees. No. 1 then jumps up 
and over No. 3, landing on his side and rolling toward 
No. 2, who repeats his first performance. This process 
of rolling, jumping upward, falling over the first 
rolling body, and rolling toward the next boy is 
repeated over and over as rapidly as possible. This is 
an excellent exhibition event and is strenuous exercise. 
The art of leaping and allowing the body of the boy 
rolling underneath to graze his own with just enough 
force to assist his own roll is a difficult one to master, 
but plenty of fun in the trying. There should be no 
cause for slowing up at any time, every boy jumping or 
rolling every time. 

DEMONSTRATIONS 

On a given night the schools in the district of .each 
of the high schools in Detroit send to them delegations 



STUNTS, INDIVIDUAL AND COMBINATION 139 

of boys chosen by their captains. Here the boys 
11 demonstrate the work done during the year in stunts 
1' and contests. The captains are in complete charge of 
t their squads, and every incentive is given each group to 
I work up stunts which are original and new. The de- 
, partment attempts to see that there are as few dupli- 
^ cations of stunts as possible, but as a rule the captains 
j are allowed to follow their own initiative. 

It is extraordinary what qualities of leadership and 
originality are brought out. A program is arranged 
telling simply the order of appearance of j^^^^^^ 
each set of boys. A time limit of ten ^ent: 

. Leadership 

minutes is set for each group, into this short and Organi- 
interval the boys are urged to crowd as much 
action and as many events as is humanly possible. 
It is the author's idea that many fair demonstrations, 
or exhibitions, as they are commonly called elsewhere, 
are spoiled by attempting to stretch them over too 
long an interval of time. 

Any average group of boys should be able to put on 
all the stunts allotted their school in ten minutes or less. 
The shorter the time, the greater the speed speed 
, and the more intense the action achieved. ^^^ Action 
[ It is inspiring to see a group of representative school 
enthusiasts simply tearing into things for all they 
are worth in order to demonstrate in the allotted 
time all the stunts they have planned. In the in- 



140 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

tense excitement of the moment^ feats have been 
performed that the boys themselves never reahzed 
they could do. Action is the keynote of all these 
demonstrations. 

An admission fee is charged^ and usually the gymna- 
siums or auditoriums are packed with contestants and 
spectators. The profits are used to defray the expenses 
of the year incurred in the various meets. 

Of the one hundred twenty stunts and contests 
available for demonstration, nearly all are chosen by 
one captain or another. Very often some new group 
of stunts, entirely original with the boys of a particular 
group, and in some cases new to the Physical Education 
Department, are ^'sprung" at these meetings. There 
are, of course, some few favorites that appeal to all 
boys, and that all the schools like to put on. The 
high dive and the dive for distance are especial favorites. 
Some boys, with very little practice, were able to dive 
over a bar held five feet from the ground, landing On 
ordinary gymnasium mats two deep. Other boys made 
astounding leaps in the distance dive, clearing the 
bent backs of seven, nine^ eleven, and even fourteen of 
their companions. 



CHAPTER VI 
CONTESTS 

Ceetain activities are fundamentally necessary to 
the existence of each group of animals. Running and 
ivrestling stood first in the existence and developing 
of the human race. These, with striking, throwing, 
and climbing, were the most essential in the ^^ survival 
of the fittest." 

It is necessary for the continuance of a vigorous 

race of people that each boy complete his schooling 

in these contests. It is essential that ffirls, ^^ 

® ^ Necessity 

also, have some experience with them. The for Corn- 
larger the percentage of both boys and girls ^* 
who have never practiced these contests, the more 
rapid is the social decay. Contests are too fundamental 
to neglect. Every boy needs the kind of competition 
that gets him into personal contact with his opponent. 
When a boy is boxing, wrestling, playing football, or 
when he is engaged in any of .the rougher kinds of play 
and is excited, his enthusiasm runs high. His atten- 
tion is centered only on the accomplishment of some- 
thing, and not on self, or the bumps that are bound 
to come. Even the breaking of bones is hardly noticed 
immediately under the stress of extreme excitement. 

141 




%M^ 





•*%j 



Eskimo Roll (p. 127) Human Rocker (p. 104) 





Under Stick (p. 109) Human Ball (p. 94) 



142 



CONTESTS 143 

If a boy, by his interest and enthusiasm, cannot get 
away from noticing all but the worst of the jolts and 
bumps, it is because he is more or less cowardly. In 
the great struggle against death between animals 
and between men, they become insensible to incon- 
venience and pain. Think how men have lived in this 
huge world war in trenches of mud and snow and death, 
with poor food, impure water, disease, vermin, and 
wounds ! Enthusiasm, excitement, stress of the hour, — 
these triumph over man's sense of pain. 

It is this ^^ fighting mechanism" in the body, accord- 
ing to Dr. Walter Cannon,^ that makes it possible for 
men to survive the conditions imposed by 
such conflict. How quickly any one of the "Fighting 

nations would have succumbed had one lacked Mech- 
anism " 
this element to any greater degree than the 

other ! This is the mechanism that we must keep 
active in each generation in this country. It is more 
fundamental than even drilling, battleships, or coast 
defenses. Without it men could not defend their 
country or fight for her. Only through strenuous 
physical activities for every boy up to and through 
the adolescent period can this mechanism be main- 
tained. The mechanics of any army is nothing com- 
pared to the stuff of which it is made. It is this fight- 
ing mechanism which sustains the individual through 
1 " Bodily Changes in Fear, Hunger, Pain and Rage.'! 



144 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

all the stress and strain of an active life and prevents 
him from quitting the fight when he gets the jabs 
that hurt and the knocks that smash; such jabs and 
knocks as come to many during the short span of the 
human life. 

Wrestling 

Every boy needs the kind of competition that gets 
him in personal contact with his opponent. In wrest- 
ling muscle is rubbed against muscle, brawn and skill 
work together against other brawn and skill. The 
senses of touch and pressure are stimulated ; sweat 
flows and mixes ; one feels for his holds, listens to the 
breathing, and determines the endurance of his adver- 
sary. The human body is trained to work from every 
angle, in every position and instantly, under direction 
of the mind. Wrestling is the greatest kind of training 
in developing body control, grit, courage, and every 
other element that makes for the best in a real, true, 
normal boy or man. Some of the old-time, popular 
forms of wrestling follow. 

This is the outgrowth of the old-fashioned ^^ Rough 

and Tumble Wrestle." It may be the ''flying fall" 

of two points down, that is, the two shoulders 

X • v/£ltCil 

as Catch touching the ground ; or it may be three 

Can 

points down, meaning the shoulders and one 
hip. In one of the old ways the boy had to be held 
down on his back long enough to leave no question 



CONTESTS 145 

about it; either to himself or to the onlookers. No 
special hold is taken to start with. Either contestant 
catches wherever he can. 

Two boys stand facing each other. Boy No. 1 
grasps one arm of his opponent near the shoulder and 
the other arm near the elbow. Boy No. 2 2. square 
takes the same firm hold on boy No. 1. This ^^^^ 
has been also called ^^ Shoulder and Elbow" wrestling. 
It requires much skill and is practically unknown by 
the younger generation. All old-time and Civil War 
veterans can tell many stories about this hold and how 
it worked to advantage. Sparring and feinting for 
an opening with the feet to catch the opponent off 
guard or balance open the way for a fall. One of the 
old tricks was' to fall backward and at the same time 
place the foot on or above the opponent's knees and 
throw him over the head. The original hold must 
be kept as long as both boys are on their feet; if pos- 
sible, even after the fall. 

The boys stand side by side. Boy No. 1 puts his 
right arm around boy No. 2, over his left shoulder, 
and grasps him under the right arm. Boy 3. side / 
No. 2 puts his left arm around boy No. 1, ^^^^ 
under his right shoulder, and grasps him under his left 
arm. Boy No. 1, with his left hand, grasps the right 
hand of boy No. 2. Both wrestle from this start until 
one wins a ^^fall." 



146 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

The boy having the under hold has the advantage. 
Consequently, the stronger or larger boy takes the 
upper hold. — - — "■ ""=* 

Two boys stand facing each other. Boy No. 1 
puts one arm over one shoulder of boy No. 2, the 
4. Back opposite arm under the other shoulder, and 
^°^^ clasps his hands behind the back of boy No. 2. 

Boy No. 2 takes the same hold on boy No. 1. This 
is the hold for boys of equal strength. If one boy is 
larger or stronger than the other he should take the 
upper hold with both arms. The smaller boy has 
both arms around under and clasped behind the back 
of his opponent. 

It is possible for the weaker boy, after his back has 
been bent and he is falling to the ground, to turn his 
opponent under him. The method of breaking this 
hold is to let go with one hand, grasp the opponent's 
chin, and push his head backward. 

Strange to say, a large per cent of boys know some- 
thing about hand wrestling. It goes to prove how 
6. Hand we are losing the more vigorous forms of 
Wrestling wrestling. Possibly even the milder ones will 
pass away. A good grip in the hand is one of the essen- 
tial qualifications, as well as good balance and the 
ability to anticipate what one's opponent is going to 
do, . Two boys stand facing each other, grasp right 
hands, place the outsides of their right feet together, 



CONTESTS 147 

and step backward about 30 inches with each left 
foot. The object of the contest is to pull the opponent 
off his balance. When either foot of an opponent 
moves out of position it counts one fall. The original 
hand grip must be held, but the body may be twisted 
and turned in any direction as long as the feet remain 
stationary. This wrestle may be done also by stand- 
ing on the right foot only and holding the left one in 
the air. In this case a fall is counted when the foot 
on which the opponent is standing moves out of place, 
. or when the other foot or any part of the body touches 
the ground. -— — -^ 

Two boys lie on their backs with their feet in opposite 
directions and lock their right elbows. They then 
lift their right feet up over their heads to- e. Indian 
gether three times, slowly counting one, two, Wrestle^ 
three, and lock their right knees on the third count. 
One of the contestants will be made to turn a back- 
ward somersault and is the loser. 

Two boys sit facing each other across a desk or the 
corner of a table, or both lie flat on their stomachs 
on the ground, placing their right elbows near 7, Elbow 
each other on the table or ground and lock- trestle 
ing their thumbs together. The object of the contest 
is to force the back of the other fellow's hand down to 
the table. The elbows must be kept stationary and 
in contact with the table. 



148 HEALTH BY STUNTS 



Boxing 



Boxing is a great mental as well as physical training 
for every boy. If every boy would learn well the 
1. With ^^ manly art of self-defense/' there would be 
Gloves jggg pgsort to guns, swords, knives, stones, 

clubs, and every other available instrument of bodily 
injury or death. Every boy or man who has not 
wrestled or boxed and who cannot fight when he 
must, either plays the part of a coward and runs, or 
else resorts to the first available thing he can use for 
injury, and stops at nothing if his temper is uncon- 
trollable. There are in all groups boys who cannot 
run or fight, but who get uncontrollably mad and cry, 
scream, strike, bite, and scratch when practical jokes 
are played on them. They are the ones generally 
called ^^ sissy." Some of them have not enough fire 
to fight and just cry. A boy who takes good hard 
bumps in boxing and keeps it up until he is tired, with- 
out losing his temper, is getting a mental training in 
control that nothing will give quite so well as boxing. 
Before the regular boxing gloves were as accessible 
as to-day, it was quite common to see the homemade 
ones stuffed with feathers and often with real goose 
down. 

This form of boxing, once so popular, has also gone 
into disuse. When it has been introduced in Detroit, 



i 



CONTESTS 149 

boys have taken to it with enthusiasm. The contest- 
ants wear caps and the object is^ by boxing and 
sparring for an opening with the open hands, 2. Boxing 
to get a chance to knock off the cap of one's ^^^ 
opponent. When two boys are evenly matched it 
takes cleverness and skill to accomplish this. 

This requires an even greater control of the temper 
than boxing with gloves. Many hard bumps are 
received. Good Ions; and deep scratches are 

° ^ 3. Boxing 

sometimes made by missing a blow by all but with Open 
a finger nail. Having on only a thin shirt or 
being bare above the waist makes the event both 
hot and interesting. There are no rules to this contest 
except that the hands must be kept open. The object 
is to land as many slaps on the opponent as possible. 

This is a form of contest that stood for many years 
as an accomplishment to be proud of. It is used to 
some extent to-day in our university and high 
school gymnasiums. It is an exercise of form 
and grace of movement, but it fails to get the two 
contestants into actual bodily contact. It requires 
too scientific a knowledge for the average layman to 
get a great deal from its pursuance. 

Miscellaneous Contests 

There are a great many miscellaneous wrestling con- 
tests which develop considerable enthusiasm, create 



150 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

full; and serve to enlarge the repertoire of sports each 
boy has to draw from. The following are the few 
from which the most gratifying results have been ob- 
tained; after their introduction to different groups. 

Two boys stand in a circle about six feet in diameter. 
Each boy^ with his right hand, takes hold of his own 

1. Rooster 1^^^ ^00^ behind his back and clasps his right 
Fight No. 1 ^^.j^ behind his back with his left hand. Each 
contestant is then standing on one foot with both 
hands out of commission. At the signal "go" they 
hop at each other and attempt to force each other out 
of the circle or to force a fall. 

The same rules govern this fight except that each 
folds his arms. A fall is called when either boy un- 

2. Rooster folds his arms, is forced out of the circle, or 
Fight No. 2 touches the ground. 

Two boys sit on the ground facing each other, with 
knees up, feet flat on the ground, and hands clasped 

3. Cock together at the ankles. In order to help hold 
^^^^* this position, thrust a broom-stick or a wand 
under the knees but over the arms. Holding this 
position, on the signal "go'^ each^ contestant tries 
with his toes to lift the feet of the other high enough 
from the ground to make him lose his balance and roll 
over on his back. 

Draw a seven-foot circle on the ground. The two 
contestants bend forward and each grasps his own 



CONTESTS 151 

rankles. On the signal ^^go" each tries to crowd the 
other out of the circle. A fall is called when either 
h forced out of the circle, lets go his ankles 4 chicken 
with either hand, or touches the ground ^^^^^ 
with any part of the body other than his two feet. 

Two boys sit on the ground facing each other, knees 
up, and the soles of the feet of one against the soles 
of the feet of the other. They grasp each 5 p^n 
other's hands or grasp a stick held crosswise ^**^^ 
between them and hold the stick straight above the 
toes. On the signal ^^Go" each tries to pull the other 
up to a standing position. A fall is called when a 
contestant is pulled up, pulled over on to the other 
contestant, or when one pulls the stick out of the 
other's hands. ' 

This, with the Pull Stick, will be remembered by 
most men as a very common wrestle. Both, with 
many other contests, were common at all g Twist 
"auction sales," "bees," "loggings," "barn ^tick 
raisings, " and community gatherings of all kinds. Two 
boys stand facing each other about a foot apart. Each 
extends his arms above his head and grasps a round 
d stick from one to four inches in diameter. The palms 
of each are held, facing in the same direction as the 
contestant. The boys grip the stick tightly and on 
the signal "Go," each contestant backs up and the 
stick is pulled down between them. The object 



152 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

is to have so strong a grip on the stick that it will 
slip or twist in the opponent's hands but will not in 
one's own. The loser is the one whose hands slip. 

Two boys stand facing each other, about a foot 
apart. Each extends his arms above his head and 

7. Bend clasps the other's hands; the two interlacing 
Fingers their fingers. On the signal "Go," each con- 
testant backs up and brings his hands down. The boy 
having the stronger fingers will make the other kneel. 
Making a contestant kneel wins a fall. 

Two boys stand facing each other. They place 
the outside of their right feet together with the left 

8. Pull l^gs back as in the Hand Wrestle and hook the 
Fingers ^^^ middle fingers together. On the signal 
"Go," they start pulling. A fall is called when a 
contestant's finger straightens out or when he is pulled 
out of position. Each finger on the right hands may 
be pulled against each of the opponent's. Reverse 
the feet and pull the fingers of the left hands against 
each other. 

Two boys get on their hands and knees, hold their 
heads up high, and face each other with faces about a 

9. Badger ^oo't apart. A strap that is buckled together 
^"^ is placed around the back of the heads of the 
two boys and a line is drawn between the two. On 
the signal "Go," each tries to drag the other over the 
line. A fall is called when a contestant is pulled over 



CONTESTS 153 



the line, or when one contestant pulls hard enough 
to bend the neck of the other and make the strap slip 
off over his head. Two belts may be buckled together 
and used for the head strap. 

Two boys sit on the ground with their backs toward 
each other and about a foot apart. Around the 
foreheads of the two boys is placed a strap iq. Neck 
I that is buckled together, and a line is drawn ^"^^ 
half-way between the two. On the signal ^^Go/' each 
tries to drag the other over the line. A fall is called 
when either is pulled over the line or the strap slips 
over his head. Two belts may be buckled together 
for the head strap. 

This contest is a test of the front neck muscles. 
These, like the' abdominal muscles, are poorly developed 
in most boys. By taking hold of the average boy's 
shoulders it will be found that by placing only the 
first three fingers on his forehead, his head can easily 
be pushed back. The muscles of the back, the back 
of the neck, and the biceps are far better developed 
than their opposites. 

Boy No. 2 jumps on the back and locks his legs 
around the body of boy No. 1. Boy No. 1 holds 
the legs of boy No. 2. Boy No. 2 uses his n Horse 
horse (boy No. 1) and his arms to dismount ^^^^* 
another boy similarly equipped. Any number of 
horses and riders may engage in this contest. This is 



154 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

an excellent ^^ rough" sporty and will furnish plenty 
of excitement for the contestants. 

Two boys grasp with both hands a stick held between 
them, and at a given signal each attempts to twist 

12. stick or pull the stick away from his opponent. 
Wrestle rpj^^ contest is not won until one or the other 
gains complete possession of the stick. It is possible 
to work up considerable fight in this contest, for any 
means at all may be taken to shake off an opponent 
and force him to let go the stick. 

Some mention should be made of this great old-time 
contest. It has always been popular and has been 

13. Tug of present at every gathering until the last few 
^" years. At many rural and small-town gather- 
ings it still plays as important a part as pie eating, 
slippery pole, and greased pig. Ten on each half 
of a heavy rope is a team. The side wins which first 
pulls past the six-foot mark the handkerchief tied at 
the center of the rope. 



CHAPTER VII 
THE DECATHLON CONTEST 

Most of the physical activities dealt with in the pre- 
ceding chapters are meant to include practically all 
the boys in a school system. At least the idea has 
been to introduce activities of such a nature or in such 
numbers as to give the largest possible number of boys 
something in which they can become vitally interested. 

Because there is a certain varying proportion of 
boys who can never find complete expression for their 
inherent ability in the wider class and school individual 
competition, there has been devised in the Compe- 
Physical Education Department of Detroit 
a method of competition that will select the best 
-all-round athletes in the city and bring them together 
in a meet to determine individual supremacy. 

A great deal of care and thought have been expended 
in working out the Decathlon Card by means of which 
all scoring for the contest is done. The card is repro- 
duced at the end of this chapter. 

The Decathlon Contest is in part a revival of the 
old Greek idea. Although the events differ ^ there is 

155 



\, 




s^- 



t 



ii 





156 



THE DECATHLON CONTEST 157 

an adherence to the spirit of the days when valor and 
physical perfection were looked upon as the first 
essentials to a healthy mind and spiritual Decathlon 
greatness. The gold Decathlon medal is Medals 
meant to be to the public school boy what the laurel 
wreath was to the Grecian hero, and the same ideals 
of fair play and sportsmanship are meant to prevail. 
The boys of Detroit do feel that this medal is the high- 
est possible award for which they may strive. It 
takes the place with them of the high school or college 
"letter." The winning of it is, in fact, more signifi- 
cant than the university letter, from a physical stand- 
point, for it means that the boys' prowess extends in 
a score of different directions instead of one only. 

The rules of the contest call for participation in any 
ten of fourteen athletic events by those boys fortunate 
enough to qualify in their preliminary tests. The 
medal is given on the basis of the number of points 
won in these ten events, the points to be figured as 
shown on the Decathlon Card. 

In Detroit the contest is held twice a year, at the 
close of the first term and again in June. Early in 
the season cards are distributed among the captains 
at their regular monthly meetings. An announcement 
of the coming event is given out a month in advance of 
the date set. Placards are also distributed in the schools 
advertising the place and the date of the try-outs. 



158 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

This preliminary test is held usually in the gymnasium 
of the most centrally located high school. The rules 
Prelimi- 0^ the contest are such as to assure the Depart- 
nary Tests nient that only the very pick of the boys in 
the city come into the finals. The events required are 
of a nature to make it certain that a boy possessed of only 
one or two favorable attributes^ even if these be com- 
bined with luck, cannot win enough points for a medal. 

Only eighth-grade boys may enter. 

Each contestant must have a certificate showing 
that he has no organic weakness. 

On the day set for the preliminaries, the whole physi- 
cal education force, together with as many good assist- 
ants as they can press into service, take possession of 
the gymnasium and arrange the necessary apparatus 
so that the contestants may be handled as rapidly 
and with as little confusion as possible. 

Entering the room ready for the test, each boy is 
first required to give his name, school, grade, and age, 
at a table near the door. He is then presented with a 
Decathlon Card on which this information appears. 

Next he finds the chinning bar awaiting him, with 

a man in charge to see that the pull-up and let-down 

. are properly done. The usual hold taken 

1. Chinning ^ ^ ^ 

is with the palms in toward the body. The 
chin must clear the bar on each pull-up, and no swing 
or snap is allowed. Going down, the arms must be 



THE DECATHLON CONTEST 159 

completely uncrooked. Should the contestant fail 
to chin six times, he is immediately barred from further 
competition in the meet. In order to qualify for a 
silver medal, he must chin seven times, — for a gold 
medal, eight times. No matter how high his average 
in the remaining events may be, each boy must receive 
the required number of points in each of the first three 
events here described, in order to be in line for the 
gold, silver, or bronze medal (see lower left-hand corner 
of front of the Decathlon Card). 

Following the test in chinning, the boy next finds 
himself at the place set aside for the ^^sit up." This 
test calls for a demonstration of the strength 2. The Sit 
of the abdominal and lower trunk muscles. ^^ 
The contestant sits on a board two or three inches 
from the floor, with his feet securely held either by 
another boy or by placing them under straps arranged 
for the purpose. A rowing machine is an excellent 
place for taking this test. Another board, an equal 
distance from the floor, is placed behind the first one, 
and within a foot or two of it, so that the boy, bending 
backward with his hands locked behind his neck, may 
touch it with his head before returning to an erect 
position. His back must be kept arched so that no 
part of it touches the board or the floor. The number 
of times the trip down and up again is made determines 
the points in this event. The minimum in order to 



160 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

qualify for continuance in the contest is sixteen. To 
qualify for the silver medal the number is eighteen, for 
the gold; twenty. 

While the contestant is resting from these two exer- 

tionS; his grip, lung capacity, height, and weight are 

tested. Should his average grip be below sixty 

3. Grip 

and Lung pounds, he fails to go further in the try-out. 

^ " ^ Seventy pounds qualifies for the silver medal 
and eighty pounds for the gold. The lung capacity 
must be at least two and six tenths times his height in 
inches ; two and eight-tenths is required for the silver, 
and three times for the gold. 

The ^^ floor dip" is the third athletic event of the 
ten which must be taken as a preliminary test. This 

4. The is done by lying face down on the floor, placing 
Floor Dip ^Yie hands just as close as possible to the 
shoulders on the floor, and keeping the body perfectly 
rigid, pushing straight up at arm's length, so that the 
body is resting on the hands and toes only. The 
number of times this push up can be done determines 
the points made. Instead of returning to a resting 
position on the floor each time, the body is let down 
only far enough to allow the chest to strike a small 
desk bell which has been placed in the proper position. 
No sagging or humping the body is permitted. Ten 
times qualifies for the bronze medal and the finals, 
twelve times for the silver, and fourteen for the gold. 



THE DECATHLON CONTEST 161 

Making the rounds of the gymnasium^ the contest- 
ant comes next to a table presided over by the Physical 
Education Department member best able to 5 p^e- 
draw from the boy his ability and experi- p^redness 
ences in the way of what we call ^'Preparedness.'^ 
(See back of card under that heading.) He is encour- 
aged to tell all he has ever done in the way of camp- 
ing, hunting, scouting, hiking, military training, wrest- 
ling, boxing, boating, resuscitation, first aid, breaking 
holds, and keeping up his personal cleanliness. He is 
marked accordingly. No requirement is made in this 
department, but there is an attempt to make the boy 
feel that anything he may have done is noted and 
approved. 

At the same table he is asked to present a report 
from his principal or teacher on scholarship, scholastic 
effort, conduct, attendance, and punctuality, g schoiar- 
The fact is also noted if he has acted as a cap- ^^^^ 
tain or leader. 

By this time he has had sufficient breathing space to 
be able to demonstrate what he knows of the '^ stunts" 
taught during the term. Ten of those listed 7 x^e 
on the reverse of the card must be done per- ^*""* '^^^^ 
fectly in order to qualify him for the finals. Fifteen 
are necessary to give him a chance at the silver medal, 
and twenty for the gold. Any boy must be well 
muscled, supple, and have a well-developed sense of 



162 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

balance in order to do any fifteen or twenty of these 
stunts. 

It is safe to say that when a boy passes all these pre- 
liminary tests in one afternoon, he realizes that he has 
earned the right to finish the competition. Once 
safely through the try-outs, he may rest in peace until 
the following week, when the final seven athletic events 
are staged either in some large gymnasium or out on 
an open field, depending on the time of year. 

The first three listed on the card are already disposed 
of, and out of the remaining eleven the contestant may 
8. Final choose any seven. Enough officials are 
Contest pressed into service so that there is at least 
one in charge of each event during the day of the 
meet. The competitors are allowed to choose the 
time and sequence of their trials, and every effort is 
made to give everyone a fair chance to do his very 
best. More than one trial at an event is allowed, pro- 
viding enough time is taken between trials to assure 
no over-exertion. 

It has always been the experience of the Department 
in Detroit that the finest sort of spirit prevails among 
Th S • "t ^^^ contestants. The boys usually have come 
of the Con- to know each other through athletics during 
the year, and invariably they are all pulling 
for each other. ^^ Come on, Pete, make her one better'' 
is a form of speech constantly overheard during the 



THE DECATHLON CONTEST 163 

day. No bitterness of rivalry seems possible under the 
method of conducting the meet. 

Each boy is timed and measured separately, and 
there is every inducement to make him do the best 
that is in him. 

The relative value in points of the different marks 
made in the event has been worked over constantly, 
until it would appear that we have arrived at The Point 
a very fair conclusion. There are, of course, "^^^^^ 
possible changes that could be made, but the advantage 
of making them is not at present apparent. In judg- 
ing the point table as reproduced on the card, it must 
be borne in mind that to a man especially proficient 
in some one or two of the events, the points awarded 
for certain performances in them will seem too large 
in comparison with those given for other events in 
which he is not so proficient. For example, a good 
high jumper will say at a glance that to give 860 points 
for a jump of four feet and to give only that same num- 
ber for a shot put record of thirty feet is unreasonable. 
Taken as a whole, however, it seems likely that a fair 
relative value has been hit upon. 

The main feature of the point table is that it furnishes 
an incentive to bring oneself to an average of ability 
in each of the ten events rather than to over-exert 
in any one or two. It will be noticed that this effect 
is achieved by making the increase in points from ten 



164 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

to one thousand non-uniform. The table has its 
greatest increase at about the average performance 
in each event. Above this average the increase is \ 
respectively decreased and as it approaches the pro- 
fessional it is very small. On the other hand, the poor 
jumper is encouraged to become average by having 
his points increase per each advance in performance 
as he approaches this standard. For example, in 
chinning, — for an increase from six times to seven times, 
one hundred points are made (from 460 to 560), but 
from fourteen times to sixteen times, only ten points 
are given (from 930 to 940). This means that the 
greatest award comes from an effort to bring up to 
average an event in which one is weak. Very small 
reward is given for keeping on beyond this point. 

This table as used in group competition prevents a 
few special athletes from raising the average of the 
group very materially in making their school win. 
It means that 20 average performers will make a 
higher average than 10 at the top and 10 at the bottom 
of the scale. 

Another feature of this table is that it is applicable 
to any boy or man, regardless of his ability or previous 
records in one or more events. There is scarcely a 
boy who would fail to make a few points and there 
is hardly an athlete living who could win a thousand 
points in each event. 



THE DECATHLON CONTEST 165 

In Detroit this Decathlon Contest has brought to 

light some remarkable athletes. Every year the 

boy who wins the highest total is bound to ^^ 

*^ ° Uncovering 

be, and is, wonderfully well developed. It is Natural 
safe to say that this method of selection ® ®^ 
points out the very best all-round grammar-school boy 
in the city. We have found that in all-round ability, 
the boy who won in the spring of 1917 was superior 
to the best athletes the high schools could produce, 
tested on the same basis. He won over 9500 points 
in the ten events. Few men can be found who can 
equal this record. Each year just such a record is 
made by at least one boy, and the number of boys 
that get above, the gold medal average is increasing 
with each try. 



166 



HEALTH BY STUNTS 





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168 



HEALTH BY STUNTS 



Sample Record of Decathlon Contest 

DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

Department of Physical Education 

January 1917 Decathlon 

Indoor Meet 
Marked by Standard Test Card Table 



Bulletin No. 



Date 





Joe 


7 OVER 


22 


21 


18 


TOTAL 




CORSO 


9000 


GOLD 


SILVER 


BRONZE 


AVER. 


Age 


15-11 


15-9 


15-8 


15-2 


15-2 


15-6 


Weight 


120 


132 


132 


119 


112 


121 


Height 


67.5 


66.7 


65.7 


64.7 


63.25 


64.8 


Scholarship 


8 


8 


8 


7 


7 


7.3 


Scholastic Effort 


10 


9 


9 


8.1 


8 


8.4 


Conduct 


10 


9 


9 


8 


8 


8.3 


Attendance 


10 


9 


9 


9 


8 


8.6 


Punctuahty 


10 


9 


. 9 


9 


9 


9 


Posture 


95 


99.2 


98 


97 


97 


97.6 


Lung Capacity 


200 


223 


222 


194 


175 


198.5 


9th Rib Expansion 


2 


3.5 


3.3 


3.2 


2.92 


3.15 


Grip — right 


100 


114 


103 


84 


83 


91 


Grip — left 


90 


95 


88 


77 


75 


81.4 


Arm — right 


1.5 


1.75 


1.95 


1.5 


1.3 


1.6 


Arm — left 


1.5 


1.25 


1.4 


1.25 


1.1 


1.26 


100 Yard Dash 


12 


11-3 


12 


12-3 


13-1 


12-3 


Standing Broad Jump 


8-8 


8-4 


7-7 


7-5 


7-1 


7-5 


Running Broad Jump 


15-9i 


15 


14-11 


13-2 


12-4 


13-6 


Running High Jump 


4-5 


4-3.3 


4-2 


3-11 


3-10 


3-11.8 


Standing Hop, Step, Jump 


23-5 


22-9 


21 


20-2 


18-10 


20-i 


Running Hop, Step, Jump 


31 


31-5 


29-6 


27 


24-11 


27-3 


Shot Put 


38-5 


35-6 


32 


27 


25-5 


28-1 


Overhead Shot 


36-9 


35-3 


31 


27-1 


25-5 


27-9 


Floor Dip 


34 


28 


25 


20 


20 


20.8 


Chinning 


12 


12 


10.8 


8.8 


9 


9.6 


Sit Up 


38 


28.9 


30 


25 


23 


26.2 



The preceding chart contains the records of Joe Corso, Decathlon Cham- 
pion ; the average of the seven boys who passed over 9000 ; the averages 
of the twenty-two boys who passed the gold "Standard Test" (over 8600) ; 
the averages of the twenty-one boys who passed the silver "Standard Test" 
(between 7300 and 8600) ; the averages of the eighteen boys who passed 
the bronze "Standard Test" (between 6500 and 7300) ; and the averages 
of the total number, sixty-one. 



THE DECATHLON CONTEST 169 

What these boys did, many others can do. These are boys of good 
physique who got out and tried. More than that, they are the boys who 
have practiced stunts and athletic events and have got themselves ready 
for the test. 

We shall hold another Decathlon Meet in June. At this time we hope 
to have, and should have, representatives from every school in the city, 
The Decathlon medal and the Decathlon diploma are the highest athletic 
awards given to any boy by the Detroit Public Schools. They are to the 
Grammar school boy what the block " M " is to the Michigan athlete. They 
represent balanced physical efficiency ; they stand for scholarship, as the 
gold medal is given only to the.SA. Unlike an ordinary competitive medal, 
they stand for a definite record, a certain standard, and not for fir^t place 
in a contest, regardless of whether the competition be good or poor. 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE MAJOR SPORTS OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 

6000 CONTESTANTS IN ONE FIELD MEET 

Just as in the universities certain sports, such as 
football; basket ball, and track meets, are best adapted 
to the conditions, so in the. elementary schools it should 
be possible to find some one or two games that by virtue 
of their popularity and adaptability can be made to 
answer the same purpose as the major sports of the 
college. 

As a rule there is far too slight a bond between the 
grade school and the average boy. When school 
is merely a place where law and parental pressure 
force a given amount of attendance, . and the school 
itself holds nothing in the nature of a bid for strong 
and loyal allegiance, numbers drop out at the earliest 
possible moment. 

Play is inherently so strong a factor in every child's 
existence that an appeal to instinct, made through the 
School channels of play in connection with studying 
Teams Qp ^j^y other ^'necessary evil'' cannot but 
meet with response, and in so doing will strengthen 
the interest in the work. 

170 



I 




Back Toss (p. 133) Front Toss (p. 132) 





Arm Roll (p. 128) Flying Somersault (p. 137) 



171 



172 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

Although the ordinary child may find many forms 
of individual or small group play to interest him dur- 
ing vacation time^ it is organized play, group competi- 
tion, and team work that the normal boy of nine years 
or older craves. If the school can furnish him that, 
it is doing a tremendous amount toward holding his 
interest in all its activities. 

So, in addition to the various athletic events, stunts, 
and contests advocated and fully described in previous 
chapters, it is most essential that each school be rep- 
resented by a team which will compete for the honor 
of that school against other picked teams. 

A great deal is being said and written at the present 
time against competitive team play as it now exists 
. in most of our colleges and high schools. The 

ization in weakling, the one who needs it most, we keep 
out entirely, the middle or average we do 
little with, but we do specialize on the specialists. 
However, to attack and attempt to destroy the custom 
of conducting inter-school competitive games seems to 
be going a step too far. It must not be forgotten that 
we live in an age of specialization, and to be consist- 
ent, we may not attempt to destroy the tendency 
toward specialization in athletics. . It is true that we 
must do more than has previously been done, physi- 
cally and for health, for the ^'80 per cent'^ that have 
been neglected athletically, but there is too much of 



MAJOR SPORTS OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 173 

value in maintaining teams that represent the best 
in the school to destroy the custom completely. 

These teams should be an outgrowth of inter-class 
teams which are competing within the school. This 
inter-school system should be the basis for develop- 
ing intra-school teams. 

Baseball is of course the game of most appeal in 
the springtime. Besides feeling that they are emulat- 
ing the heroes of the big leagues, the boys^ 

Baseball 
instincts are probably better satisfied by 

this particular game by reason of the fact that in it 
so many of the elemental and primitive motions are 
kept alive. Throwing^ striking, and running are all 
natural accomplishments brought down to us from 
our savage ancestors. Psychology advises that the 
craving for these elemental things be satisfied. 

The lack of places to play games such as baseball 
is a difficulty not easily met, but boys with the average 
school spirit will travel long distances to meet other 
schools in competition. In Detroit baseball is the game 
adopted as the major spring sport. 

After four seasons of trial, the Physical Education 
Department in Detroit believes that it has found a 
game for fall competition that far surpasses 
all others both in popularity, after it is once 
learned, and in adaptability to conditions. Soccer 
football, when introduced in 1914, was practically 



174 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

unheard of among the boys in that city. Before the 
season was over they had almost unanimously adopted 
it as a major sport, and the contests that have resulted 
since have constantly increased in enthusiasm and high 
spirit. It has proved to be an unqualified success. 
The great advantages of the game over any other of 
its kind lie in the fact that it requires little coaching, 
that any number can play it, that it can be played on 
a space of any size, and on ground of almost any degree 
of roughness. 

The Detroit Public Schools began soccer football 
during the fall of 1914. A few schools had played it 
the year before, but the game was practically unknown 
to the boys, teachers, and principals. The methods 
and the results of the first season follow. 

With only a limited amount of money at its dis- 
posal for athletics, the Physical Education Depart- 
ment was forced to depend on the awakening of suffi- 
cient interest on the part of the individual schools to 
impel the buying of soccer balls out of their separate 
funds. Members of the Department visited all schools 
and by means of "pep" talks and individual instruc- 
tion in the rudiments of the g^me aroused the necessary 
enthusiasm. 

In November, 1914, seventy-six schools started the 
series to determine, by the Round Robin system, the 
champion of each league. In the majority of cases 



MAJOR SPORTS OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 175 

the leagues were arranged to include eight schools. 
There were two hundred fifty-four games scheduled. 
Two hundred twenty-one were played ; thirty-two were 
forfeited or not reported. 

The league champions met at the close of the schedule 
to fight out under the Bagnall-Wyle system the cham- 
pionship of the city. 

Each year since more teams have been added to 
the list; more interest has been shown^ and a higher 
grade of soccer has been demonstrated. 

In order to leave the members of the Physical Edu- 
cation Department free for other duties^ steps were 
taken to secure outside officials in all cases. The City 
Soccer Association furnished a list of men who were 
willing to help with the games free of charge. Each 
captain was given his list for reference. After a year 
or more of play, referees may be picked from boys who 
have graduated. 

It has always been the policy in Detroit to designate 
in the schedule the week during which each game is 
to be played, and to leave the actual arranging of 
time, place, and referees to the captains of the teams, 
thfe object being to teach the captains management 
and to develop a sense of real responsibility in them. 
This policy was in the nature of an experiment. The 
alternative is, of course, to name the day and hour, 
the place, and the referee in the original schedule. 



176 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

The latter plan has been most successful for Soccer 
Schedule, 1918. In other cities the policy would have 
to be selected which would best fit the individual 
case. 

The games are reported on post cards addressed to 
the Physical Education Department and mailed in 
immediately after the game by both captains. Dis- 
crepancies in results found on these cards are investi- 
gated and adjustments made. 

As a final wind-up of the athletic seasons the Physical 

Education Department in Detroit stages a track meet 

^^ ^ , at the close of the winter term and a huge 
The Track ° 

and Field track and field meet at the close of the spring 

®® ^ term. These meets constitute the third and 

final "major sport" used to develop special interest 
in athletics. 

The winter indoor meet allows teams from all the 

schools of a league to meet in the nearest high school 

gymnasium to determine the league cham- 

indoor pionships in the various weight classes. 

®® Each school may enter one boy in each event 

in the two sixth-grade weight classes (over 90 pounds 
and 90 pounds or under) and in the four weight classes 
of the upper grades (over 115 pounds, 101 to 115, 
86 to 100, and 85 pounds or under). 

A minimum of events is used in these meets for 
obvious reasons. Those usually chosen are : Thirty 



MAJOR SPORTS OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 177 

Yard Dash, High Jump, Soccer Dribble (see Chapter 
IV, page 59), Relay, and Shot Put. 

The winners in all weight classes are given badges 
entitling them to enter the final meet for the champion- 
ship of the city, which is held a few days later. 

The spring meet in Detroit is an affair of such huge 
proportions as to warrant mentioning some of its 
details. Over 6000 contestants have to be The Out- 
handled during the day of the meet. A brief ^°°^ ^®®* 
description of some of the most salient features follows : 

Four plots of level, grassy ground each 120 yards 
long and 80 yards wide are laid out. These spaces 
are roped in and only contestants and officials are 
allowed on the inside. 

The morning is devoted to running off the prelimi- 
naries in each league, while the afternoon is taken up 
with the finals between league winners. 

All schools are notified in advance that tents may 
be rented for the occasion. As many as are able to 
get the necessary money together have tents set up for 
dressing rooms and general headquarters. 

One of the main features of the meet, designed to 
save the hopeless confusion likely to arise from the 
scattering of the boys of a given school dur- 
ing the day, is the use of the huge official Official 
clock in connection with the specific state- ^^ 
ment of time in the program of which each boy has 



178 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

a copy. This clock is a simple affair of wood with 

painted figures and movable hands, set high enough 

above the heads of the contestants to be visible to all. 

A man is kept in constant charge to move the hands 

as directed by the chief clerk. For example : The first 

event of the day starts at 10 : 00 a.m. according to the 

program. Should a delay in starting be absolutely 

unavoidable and all events ready to start at 10 : 13, 

the official clock can still be made to read 10 : 00 a.m. 

and from then on it can be advanced regularly each 

minute. If, during the course of the day, any time can 

be gained by the speeding up of events, the clock can be 

manipulated to bring it again into harmony with the 

actual time. The point is that the contestants fully 

understand that the time of an event as listed on the 

program means that that event will start when the 

official clock designates that particular minute. 

This is another feature. The program has every 

contestant's name. Each contestant enters but one 

„, event. He locates his name and the exact 

The 

Official time at which he will compete in the following 
rogram manner. Each boy locates his league and 
school ; his weight class and event ; and last his name ; 
which gives the exact time that he will compete ac- 
cording to the program and official clock. 

A sample page of the official program is shown on 
page 180. 



MUOR SPORTS OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 179 

These are put up eight feet from the ground so they 
can be seen from all parts of the field. On these 
signs are printed starts and finishes of races ; sign 
starts of other events and other necessary in- Boards 
formation. In this way each contestant can easily 
locate his event on the field. 

Each contestant wears on his shirt a felt cloth 

insignia which indicates his league, his place at the 

start of the event, and his weight class. In , . . 
^ ° Insignia 

this way any starter can tell at a glance for 
whether or not the boy has his correct place, ^® ^°^* 
clasS; and event. 

Each winner in the preliminary is given a ribbon 
with finals printed on it. This with the original 
preliminary insignia makes it possible for the . . 
starter to know the place, class, and event of for 
the contestant in the final. ^"^ ^ 

The winged head of Mercury is the insignia on all 
trophies for individual, class, league, and city champions. 
This idea is carried out on banners for league 
champions, bronze plaques for city champions, 
and gold, silver, and bronze buttons for individual 
champions. This is also true for girls' events. 

A picture of the Decathlon Button is shown on page 
167 with Decathlon Card. The button for other events 
does not have the ten points on the outer edge. The 
girls' Pentathlon pin has five points. 



180 



HEALTH BY STUNTS 



Class C 



Hundred Yard Dash 
Color Blue Class D Color Yellow 





League I 


Time 11:08 A.M. 


Time 11:42 A.M. 


1. 


Burton 


Steven Mock 


William Betke 


2. 


Franklin 


Warren Schlegelmich 


Hamilton Miller 


3. 


Houghton 


Roy McLean 


Earl Killick 


4. 


Tappan 


Percy Riddler 


Alfred Seibold 


5. 


Webster 


Peter Smith 


Ernest Brown 


6. 


Wilkins 


Chnton Shook 


Will Mich 




League II 


Time 11: 10. A.M. 


Time 11: U A.M. 


1. 


Barstow 


John Sohl 


Allan Moody 


2. 


Berry 


Daniel Huff 


Fred Hamel 


3. 


Bishop 


Edward Kitten 


Daniel Budintosky 


4. 


Capron 


Charles Cohen 


Marvin Ressler 


5. 


Duffield 


Cornellious Reyrt 


Thomas Laketch 


6. 


Washington 


William Patterson 


Herman Avney 




League III 


Time 11: 12 A.M. 


Time 11:46 A.M. 


1. 


Bellevue 


Ernest Seymore 


Loyal Waterworth 


2. 


Field 


Stuart Spalding 


Adelbert Toepfer 


3. 


Ives 


Edwin Johnston 


Edmund Cuthbertson 


4. 


Montieth 


Raymond Mallony 


Stanley Brusmaster 


5. 


Scripps 


Harry Watson 


JuHus Van Stulant 


6. 


VanDyke 


Karl Wilmer 


Herbert Schultz 



League IV 

1. Chandler 

2. Hely 

3. Marcy 



Time 11: 14 A.M. 
Alfred Clyma 
George Aronen 
Howard Gould 



4. Marxhausen Herman Kersten 

5. Rose Alex Schmartz 

6. Stephens Ellwood Wirth 



Time 11: 48 A.M. 
Gus Zielke 
Francis Gerds 
John Auch 
Joseph Linicayi 
Alexander Mason 
David Davidow 



i 




Knee Drop (1) 




/ 



^ 

A 


^4# 


m 

*" / 


^ 


-^^as:s«*«r> 


- 


Head Stand (p. 106) 


Jump Stick (p. 106) 



181 



CHAPTER IX 

By Esther Sherman, in Charge of Girls' Athletics 
STUNTS ADAPTED FOR GIRLS 

There has grown up in our modern civilization, 
especially in this country, a false notion of the capacity 
of women for physical development. It has been 
assumed, not only by the majority of the general public, 
but by many medical men as well, that physical 
training for girls must be confined to calisthenics, 
carefully planned out gymnastic movements, and 
gymnastic dancing. All of the more vigorous forms 
of play and exercise have been looked upon with more 
or less disapproval. 

In view of this rather widespread opinion, especially 
among the parents of girls in the public schools, we 
General ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ would be a mistake to outline a 
Public plan of girls' stunts and the more strenuous 

pinion athletic activities without covering briefly 
the main points for and against such a plan. It has 
been introduced in the public schools of Detroit so 
recently that the results — the general effect on the 
girls — cannot yet be estimated with any degree of 
assurance. Naturally the Physical Education Depart- 
ment would not have adopted the plan now in us^ 

182 



i 



STUNTS ADAPTED FOR GIRLS 183 

had it not been reasonably certain of avoiding all 

harmful effects. It is to emphasize the considerations 

that led to its adoption, as well as to suggest the form 

that athletics for girls may safely take, that this chapter 

is added to a book intended essentially for boys. 

A careful study of the objections raised to vigorous 

activities for girls will show that they are based on two 

quite different assumptions, namely, (1) 

the unalterable physiological make-up of objections 

woman which, it is claimed, makes strenu- *° ^^^^' 
11. 1.11-1 . Athletics 

ous athletics undesirable in that it interferes 

with her greatest function — child bearing ; (2) the 
delicacy of structure, general motor inferiority, rela- 
tive lack of strength, and frailty as compared with 
man make the attempting of athletics inadvisable if 
not impossible. In connection with this idea goes the 
fear that the rougher sports will destroy ''femininity." 
All the statistical evidence gathered in the last few 
decades seems to bear out this second point of the 
relative frailty of women, the difference 
being very marked between the strength strength of 
tests of boys and girls. The ratio of strength ^^^^ ^^^ 
varies in different tests from three to two to 
two to one, the ratio increasing with the age. That 
these statistics should actually be used in attempting to 
show that girls have not the capacity to engage in vig- 
orous :ictivities that boys possess, shows a deplorable 



184 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

lack of reasoning power. These figures prove nothing 
at all regarding the capacity of women for physical en- 
deavor. All they show is that under our modern ways 
of living girls are only two thirds as capable physically 
as boys. In no way do they lead to the conclusion that 
girls have not the capacity for a more complete and 
more perfect development. 

As a matter of fact, these figures are just the ones 
that lead naturally to speculation as to why this condi- 
tion has come to pass, and whether, quite possibly, 
girls do not need the more energetic type of play and 
exercise above everything else. 

This is, indeed, exactly the interpretation that the 
Physical Education Department in Detroit and the 
authors of this book have put upon the statistics, — ■ 
i.e. that to the end that they shall be less frail and 
better able to meet the emergencies of life, there is a 
vital need of stimulating in girls the love of free and 
vigorous athletic activities. 

As for the physiological characteristics of women, 

which are unalterable and which are said to 

Causes of prohibit anything of a strenuous nature, the 

Woman's simple fact of the existence of these charac- 

Unfitness 

for teristics does not, when all the evidence is 

Strenuous considered, seem to lead to any such conclu- 
Exercise ^ ^ 

sion. If woman were fundamentally, through 

sex characteristics, unfitted for muscular exertion, it 



STUNTS ADAPTED FOR GIRLS 185 

would have to be shown that in all periods of civiliza- 
tion she was thus unfitted. That is to say, it would 
not be sufficient proof to take as examples women liv- 
ing under a given set of conditions, and to say that it 
is their fundamental sex characteristics which make 
them unfit for strenuous exercise. We would have 
to show first that it was not the living conditions 
themselves that had brought about the unfitness. 

The two facts that point most strongly to the col- 
lapse of the physiological unfitness theory are, first, 
that there are plenty of historical evidences to show 
that, under proper environmental conditions, women 
may be equally as strong as men, i.e. may work, hunt, 
and fight as creditably as they. There is conclusive 
proof that in animals and in the lower races of men the 
motor or muscular superiority of the male is far less 
marked than in civilization. And, secondly, it can be 
all too easily demonstrated what inhibitory effects pres- 
ent civilized customs have upon physical development. 

In connection with the first point it is interesting 
to note that the women who hold the enviable reputa- 
tion of having the most grace and beauty of all the 
ages are among those showing the greatest physical 
energy and strength, namely, the old Greeks. Further, 
it is interesting to find that illustrations of muscular 
exertion, combined with health and strength, are not 
confined to the ancients. The modern Japanese 



186 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

woman is a type of wonderful physique and form of 
body, together with a normal functioning of all organs, 
as a result of, or at least significantly coupled with, 
exercise of the most vigorous kind. 

At the present time unnumbered books are being 
turned out which deal in the most thorough manner 
Artificial with the defects of modern customs of dress 
Living and the average artificial and unhealthy 

conditions of growth among girls. These 
will not be dwelt on here. Suffice it to say that if, 
as we have pointed out in Chapter II, the swift 
progress of events in the last few years has left the 
American boy without the incentive to, or means of, 
adequate physical expression, it has served equally 
to accentuate the supremely false notion of the harm 
of physical exertion for girls. 

It is quite conceivable that girls brought up under 
our usual customs should be unable to take part in 
energetic sports. In fact, the authors can call to mind 
any number of girls of the ^^ protected," ^^ hot-house" 
variety, who would faint at the mere suggestion of 
playing a hard game, and others who would become so 
excited and unstrung in the playing of a simple compet- 
itive game that considerable harm might result. It is 
from such cases as these that parents and medical men 
have reasoned that "girls are not built for athletics." 

It is regrettably true that generations of bad dress- 



STUNTS ADAPTED FOR GIRLS 187 

ing and pampering have resulted in a physical handi- 
capping of the race that it will take years of careful 
training to overcome. It is admittedly unwise to 
select girls who have passed into the adolescent period 
and start them in with highly strenuous activities. 
Although the adaptability of the human mechanism 
is a wonderful thing, and the degenerating influence 
of soft living might be overcome without damage to 
it, still the safer way would be to build up more slowly 
than could be done by means of the rougher sports. 

The plan adopted in Detroit takes cognizance of 
the factor of age-long false thinking and evil customs. 
Corrective work, mild games, gymnastic Meeting 
dancing, and joyful movements of the most the 
approved character still form the main pro- 
gram of physical training for school children. But 
in addition it is recognized, as it is bound to be uni- 
versally recognized in the near future, that the younger 
generation of girls must gradually be weaned away 
from the idea of constitutional frailty, and that it 
can best be done by introducing stunts, games, and 
athletic activities of such a character as to bring out all 
the best of the girls' physical nature. 

There is here no question of attempting competition 
with boys, and as far as possible it is probably best 
to avoid using games which have always been peculiar 
to men. 



188 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

All danger of an attempted emulation of mannish 
attitudes and mannerisms is thus to be avoided easily, 
and experience with competition purely between girls 
in girls' games will show that, far from a loss of ^^femi- 
ninity/' there will be an added charm gained from a 
sense of confidence and a better control and coordina- 
tion of muscles. 

From all recent statistics it will be found that the 
normal rate of growth of girls differs quite markedly 
from that of boys. From the age of nine or ten on, 
for a period of from three to four years, the normal 
growth of girls is very rapid and marked. During 
this period they are ahead of boys in both height and 
weight. This is their period of greatest growth, and 
after this time their growth falls off sharply, while that 
of boys begins to show its greatest increase. 

It is also a matter of record that the average modern 
girl has her greatest points of weakness in the respira- 
tory muscles of the chest, the flexors of the arm, the 
pronators and supinators of the forearm, and the 
muscles of the back. 

If at some period during the greatest natural devel- 
opment of the girl, before the inhibitory processes 
begin to show themselves, these weak points could 
be strengthened and the normal growth supplemented 
and guided, she would have gained an advantage which 
it would be difficult to overestimate. It is during this 



STUNTS ADAPTED FOR GIRLS 189 

period, before artificial conditions have had a chance 
to leave their mark, that athletics can best be in- 
troduced. 

Just as with boys we believe that the most important 
thing in their physical education is to develop in them 
the impulse that through life will lead them jjeyeiopine 
to keep up sufficient physical activity to a Valuable 
insure the proper functioning of their whole ^ 
organism, so with girls we must place the development 
of that impulse on an equally high plane. 

We believe that we are safe in saying that strenuous, 
joy-giving sports and games are better qualified to 
develop such an impulse and give expression to it 
than any other activity on record. 

In summary, we point out that vigorous play taught 
to girls during their period of physical supremacy 
leads to a confidence in self, a control and coordination 
of muscle, and a general energizing of the whole sys- 
tem that can be developed in no other way quite so 
well. It alone can develop and store up in the girl 
a reserve strength which will stand her in good stead 
through the emergencies of her life. Self-preserva- 
tion may depend on her ability to run, jump, vault, 
climb, and swim, and the learning of these things will 
of necessity develop a strong, vigorous heart which 
is ever the foundation of courage and exultation. 

The method used so successfully with the boys, -:- 



190 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

that of introducing and teaching the selected activities 
Captains' ^y means of the captain and squad system, — 
Meetings ^^g adopted for the Detroit girls also. The 
leaders are chosen and sent to regular meetings and 
then given the responsibility of carrying out the pro- 
gram just as the boys are. There was some doubt 
about finding in girls of this age the quality of leader- 
ship, and the results were therefore all the more en- 
couraging; for they showed that they could rise to the 
occasion equally as well as the boys. 

The development of leadership , initiative, and self- 
confidence in the girls who are to have the tremendously 
increased responsibilities that women must carry in 
another generation is surely of vast importance. If 
they can be encouraged to think, judge, and act on 
their own responsibility, they gain an asset that should 
prove of great future value. In Detroit the girl leaders 
are surprisingly reliable and efficient, and with the 
support of the teacher and the Physical Education 
Department, are getting most satisfactory results. 

In attempting to introduce an athletic program for 
girls in Detroit, it must be kept in mind that the plan 
Program ^^ entirely in the nature of an experiment. 
in ^ The type of activities to be used was chosen 

arbitrarily and is in the process of being 
thoroughly tried out this year. Changes undoubtedly 
will be made, but on the whole the results gained up 



STUNTS ADAPTED FOR GIRLS 191 

to this time seem to indicate that a fortunate choice 
was made at the outset. Thirty schools were included 
in the program at the beginning and these were almost ' 
immediately increased to fifty-six because of the popu- 
larity and demand for the work. In the case of stunts, 
certain ones used by the boys were chosen. Naturally 
those were selected which were best adapted to the 
conditions under which the girls have to work. Also, 
in determining the all-round test of efficiency, use was 
made of the pentathlon, modeled upon the decathlon, 
which has been used with such good results for boys. 
In place of baseball and soccer, we have a game tourna- 
ment for girls which will be described in detail. The 
idea of having a monthly athletic event, as in the boys' 
work, is also closely followed. 

We shall describe as briefly as possible each one of 
the branches of the athletic activities for girls, which 
include : — 

1. Monthly athletic events. 

2. A game tournament. 

3. The stunt test. 

4. The Pentathlon. 

Athletic Events 

Up to January, 1919, the athletic events in which the 
girls were tested were : — 



192 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

Sept. — Standing Broad Jump. 

Oct. — Game Tournament substituted for athletic 
events during this month. 

Nov. — Fifty Yard Dash. 

Dec. — Baseball and Basket Ball Throws for Dis- 
tance. 

Jan. — Deep Knee Bending (endurance event) and 
Dash and Throw. 

Game Tournament 

The Game Tournament was worked up during the 
month of October and run off by elimination during 
November. At this time forty-eight schools had 
organized work. Each one entered a team and played 
according to schedule. To the Sixth, Seventh, and 
Eighth grades, city championship banners were offered, 
and also three banners for League championship. In 
each of the contests in the tournament the four follow- 
ing events were used and scored as below : — 

Zig Zag Ball Six Points 

Post Ball Eight Points ^ 

Combination Pass Ball Ten Points 11 

Stunt Speed Series Fifteen Points 

The rules and regulations governing these contests 
were sent out to the girls who had charge of the work 
in each school and are reprinted on pages 193 to 200 



1 



STUNTS ADAPTED FOR GIRLS 193 

The instructions given out, and explained at the 
Captains' meetings, were the following : 

Rules and Regulations 

1. This tournament is open to girls in the sixth, 
seventh, and eighth grades. 

2. One girl may enter three events but not four. 

3. No girl who is a member of a Corrective Gymnastic 
Class is eligible to play unless she be given permission 
by the Director of Correctives. 

4. Any school failing to play at the scheduled time 
and place shall forfeit the game to its opponent. 

5. There will be a special gymnasium teacher in 
charge of each school contest. She is to be responsible 
for the successful running off of the contest. She will 
appoint judges and assign their duties. 

6. There shall be four judges, not including the 
teacher in charge. In each event the judges shall 
be assigned as follows : — one referee, two judges of 
fouls, and one timer. 

7. The referee shall act as starter and as judge at 
the finish. She shall decide which team is the winner. 

8. There shall be one judge of fouls for each team. 
These judges shall consult the special teacher in charge 
as to all possible fouls before the event is played off. 

9. The timer shall be responsible for recording the 
time for the event. 



194 



HEALTH BY STUNTS 



10. It shall be the duty of the special teacher to 
record and send in to the Department of Physical 
Education the complete report of the school contest. 

11. In any one event, three fouls against one team 
shall cause that team to lose the event, regardless of 
the fact that it may have made faster time than its 
opponent; providing the opposing team shall have made 
less than three fouls. However, in case each team 
should make three fouls or more, the event shall be \ 
played over. 

12. All contestants are strongly advised to wear 
bloomers and rubber-soled shoes. 

In Zigzag Ball each team shall consist of twelve 
1. Zigzag members. The arrangement of the team 
must be as indicated in the following figure. 

Zigzag Ball 



BaU 



X -c 

Q. 
CO 

X ^ 



8 ft. apart x 



STUNTS ADAPTED FOR GIRLS 195 

Each player shall stand on a white chalk mark 
large enough to be easily visible. 

The first player, standing on the starting line, 
throws the ball diagonally across to the next player. 
The ball then travels down the line in a zig- p^i^ts of 
zag direction until it reaches the last player, ^^^^ 
standing on a line 33 feet away from the starting line. 
The two lines face each other and are 8 feet apart. 
If any player fails to catch the ball thrown her, she 
must get the ball, return to her place, and then make 
her throw. When the ball reaches the end of the line 
the last player immediately returns it to the one from 
whom she received it, and it goes back down the line 
to the starter, who holds it high in the air to show the 
judge that her, team has finished. 

The following are defined as fouls: starting the 
ball before the whistle blows; throwing 
the ball from any position except the 
assigned spot on the floor. 

It does not constitute a foul to step off the mark in 
any direction in order to catch the ball, but the player 
must be sure to step back on the mark before she throws. 

Each team in Post Ball shall consist of ten mem- 
bers, standing in single line formation. The distance 
between the teams is ten feet. The lanes 
in which the girls stand are ten feet long and 
two feet wide. For position of post, see diagram on 
page 196. 



196 



HEALTH BY STUNTS 




2 ft. 



10ft. 



2 ft. 



5 ft. 



w 




w 







— 


1_ 




s- 







.— 


o 




CJ 


o 




o 















When the whistle blows, the first player on each 
team runs around the post without touching it, and 
back to the end of the opposing team. 

She throws the ball diagonally across to the second 



STUNTS ADAPTED FOR GIRLS 197 

player on her own team, who has moved up to the 

starting hne. The second girl then repeats 

the performance of the first. If the ball is ^Z^' '^ 

not caught; and rolls over the starting line, 

the player missing the ball must get it and return to 

the starting line before running around the post. 

The race is run as a relay race, and that team wins 
which is quickest in getting all its players around the 
post and in the places of the opposing team, without 
^ making three fouls. 

All girls except the runner must stand with both 
feet within the lanes, hut the runner need not get inside 
the lane before throwing the ball up to the next player. 
The runner must be at the end of the lane and must 
not when she throws the ball step over a line, which 
shall be a continuation of the inside line for the lane. 
If she fails to observe these regulations it shall consti- 
tute a foul. 

A girl shall not be considered a runner until the ball 
has left the hands of the team mate who is throwing 
it to her. 

It is permissible to step out of the lane in any direc- 
tion in order to catch a poor throw, and if the ball is 
fairly caught it is not necessary to get inside the lane 
again. 

The rules for fouls may be stated as follows : start- 
ing the race before the whistle blows ; running into 



198 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

or interfering with an opponent ; touching the post 

(or chair) ; throwing the ball before reaching 

the end of the opponent's team ; failing to 

return to the starting line before circling the post, — 

in case the ball has been missed. 

Each team in Combination Pass Ball shall consist 
of twelve members, standing in single line formation. 
3 Combi- ^^^^ ^^^^ player shall stand on the starting 
nation Pass line. Ten feet in front of this Hne another 
line shall be drawn. The third or finish line 
shall be drawn forty-five feet in front of the second 
line, that is, fifty-five feet from the starting line. 
The positions of the players change as follows : — 

Combination Pass Ball 
I II III IV V 

I — — t i 

1 -^ ^ ! ■ 

Start I ^ I 

(Arrows represent direction in which players must 
all be facing when playing the ball.) 

The leader holds the ball in front of her, below 
shoulder height, until the starter's whistle blows. 

1. She then passes it over her head to 

the next girl, and it continues down the 

line over each girl's head. The arms should be kept 



r STUNTS ADAPTED FOR GIRLS 199 

high above the head, and the ball should not be brought 
fi down below the overhead level. 
I After each player has passed the ball^ she gets into 

the next position by facing to the right. (With the 

whole line in this position the spacing should be such 
' that the players stand shoulder to shoulder.) 
I 2. When the last player at the end of the line receives 
: the ball she herself must get into position and then pass 
' it to the player at her left side. 

) 3. When the ball reaches the leader she faces about 
) (turning toward the front) and sends the ball down 

the left side. 

4. The last player faces to the left and passes the 
ball over her head to the girl behind her^ who passes 
it between her knees to the next girl. The ball is 
passed first ^^over'' and then ^^ under" down the line. 

5. When the ball reaches the head of the line the 
first player must turn completely around to face the 
front and throw the ball/so that it ^^ skims" the floor, 
straight down through the lane made by the girls' 

h stride positions. Each player should see that she is 
I directly behind the girl in front of her and that her 
^ feet are far apart. 

The ball should not be stopped unless it is going 
t'l out of line, in which case it should be stopped entirely 
land then sent along. If the ball is moving too slowly, 
liit should be given an extra push. 



200 



HEALTH BY STUNTS 



^ 



6. When the end girl receives the ball, she must 
run with it past her team to the finish line. 

The following are noted as fouls : starting before 

the whistle blows ; failure of any girl to touch the 

ball as it is passed ; failure to return to 

proper place before passing the ball, in case 

it has been missed ; stepping over the line, drawn ten 

feet in front of the starting line. 

The Stunt Speed Series team shall consist of five 
members, standing in single line formation. The first 
4. Stunt player shall stand on a plainly visible start- 
Speed jj^g }jj^g^ Apparatus consisting of a stick, 
oeries 

chair, and a mat are necessary. 

When the whistle blows the first player runs ahead 
five yards (see diagram), goes through the stick, and 

Stunt Speed Series 

Start 



5 yds. X Stick 
5 yds. X Chair 

10 yds. X Stick 



Mat 



STUNTS ADAPTED FOR GIRLS 201 

[' then replaces the stick on the chalk mark. She then 
goes ahead five yards and does the Chair Creeper 
^' stunt. She replaces the pencil^ sees that the p^^-^^^ c/ 
51 chair is on the mark^ and runs to the next ^^^^ 
3^ stick, which she jumps through. She then turns a 
'! forward somersault and runs back to tag the hand of 
3 the next runner, who is waiting on the starting line. 

If in doing any stunt a mistake is made when the 
5 stunt is partially completed, it is necessary to begin 
i at the beginning of the stunt and do that particular 
I stunt over. It is not necessary to return to the start- 
' ing line and repeat from the beginning of the series. 

If the stick slips out of one hand as the girl goes 
^ through it, she starts the stunt over. It is not neces- 
' sary to put the stick down on the floor and pick it 
up again. 

In doing the Chair Creeper stunt, if the stick falls 
off the chair it is permissible to pick it up and put it 
back in place and continue the stunt without getting 
up from the chair. However, if a mistake is made 
in doing the stunt, such as touching the hand to the 
floor, it is necessary to get up and repeat the stunt, or 
a foul mil be counted against the team. 

If a stick is broken in doing the Jump Stick stunt, 
there shall be another stick provided. Two extra 
sticks shall be placed at the side of the mat to provide 
for this emergency. If after as many trials as she 



202 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

may wish, a player is unable to jump the stick success- 
fully, one foul shall be counted against her team. 

It is allowable to place the mat at the edge of the 
mark where the second stick is placed, or a distance ; 
may be allowed so that the player, instead of jumping 
over on to the mat and immediately turning a somer- 
sault, has a run of any distance desired. Do not 
make the mark for the stick on the mat. 

The Stunt Test was held during January. The 

stunts in which the entrants were tested are to be 

found on the Pentathlon card. Below are 

Grade given instructions which were issued at a 

Stunt special meeting for sixth-grade captains. 

(A detailed explanation of the stunts used 
in this text are given in Chapter V.) 

All sixth grades are to compete against each other for 
a Stunt Banner. The rules to be observed are briefly : 

1. This test shall be open to any girl in the 6A or 
6B grades and shall be voluntary. 

2. Only the stunts listed in Bulletin No. 21 may be 
offered. (Substitute the AVheel Barrow for the For- | 
ward Fall.) 

3. Every girl must name correctly the stunts which 
she offers and must do them in the manner described 
in the bulletins. 

4. Each school is to take its own record, and mail or 
send it in by Friday night, January 24th. 



STUNTS ADAPTED FOR GIRLS 203 

5. For the three schools sending in the highest 
records a special test will be conducted by the Depart- 
ment to determine finally the winning school. 

6. The records will be considered on a percentage 
basis. First, there shall be determined the per cent 
of the total number enrolled in the sixth grade (A and B) 
who take the test — the entrance percentage. 

7. Secondly, there shall be determined the ability 
percentage, which is found in the following way : — 

(a) Find the school average by getting the total 
number of stunts done by all of the girls and divid- 
ing this number by the number of girls competing. 

(6) Divide 25 (the greatest number of stunts 
possible to do) by this result. 

8. Finally, in order to give equal credit for entrance 
and ability, the two percentages found shall be aver- 
aged to determine the school's final record. 

You are to work for three things : — 

1. Get every girl in the sixth grade to enter the test, 
so that your percentage of girls entering will be 100 
per cent. 

2. Get every girl to practice until she can do Directions^ 
as many of the 25 stunts as are possible for 

her, so that your percentage of ability will be high. 

3. Be sure that you mail or (much safer) send your 
report in by Friday night, January 24th, for late re- 
ports will not be counted. 



204 



HEALTH BY STUNTS 



The Pentathlon, held during January, was open to 
seventh and eighth grades. 

Eight hundred seventy-five girls — from forty-five 
schools — entered. Of this number eight hundred 
6. The qualified for the finals, and eighty-eight won 

Pentathlon medals, — thirty gold, twenty-nine silver, 
and twenty-nine bronze. Two hundred fourteen won 
arm bands. 

THE PENTATHLON 

Date. M' ^^' ^^^^ 



Name, 



School, 






/s 



yi/ffl/. 



Grade, 



8 



Events 


Record 


Points 


1. Deep Knee Bending . . . . 

2. Standing Broad Jump . . . 

3. Dash and Throw 

4. Basket Ball Throw .... 

5. Baseball Throw 


f06 
6'8" 

66^2" 

//2 

7" 


f7^5 
/60 

/70 


6. FiPty Yard Dash 


^at. 665 



/f6 



Weight, 

Height, ^ ^2 



Lung Capacity, 
Scholarship,. 



/^^l ^W. Wl. 



/ 



Posture, 


^^% 


Chest Exp.,^ 


j>3^/ 


Grip R., 


85 


Grip L., 


76 



STUNTS ADAPTED FOR GIRLS 
STUNTS 



205 



1. Ankle Somersault . 




14. Jumping Jack 




2. Bear Dance . . . 




15. Jump Foot . . 




3. Cart Wheel . .. . 




16. Jump Stick . . 




4. Chair Creeper . . 




17. Knee Dip . . . 




5. Cork Screw . . . 




18. Single Squat . . 




6. Crane Dive . . . 




19. Skin Cat . . . 




7. Dog Run . . . . 




20. Stiff Leg Bend . 




8. Eskimo Roll . . . 




21. Stiff 




9. Fish Hawk Dive . . 




22. The Top . . . 




10. Frog Dance . . . 




23. Through the Stick 




11. Front Somersault . 




24. Wheel Barrow . 




12. Full Squat . . . 




25. Wicket Walk . 




13. Heel Knock . . . 









The system of conducting this test was practically 
the same as that used in the boys' Decathlon. 

The preceding bulletin of information was issued at 
a meeting for seventh- and eighth-grade captains. 

The Pentathlon is an individual test of all-round 
athletic ability. Gold; silver^ and bron2e medals 
will be awarded according to the degree 
of proficiency shown in five athletic events Un Bulletin 
and a series of stunts. 

Every girl in the city who is eligible is urged to begin 
'draining" immediately , and to be ready to take the 
test by January 20th. 

In regard to the Endurance event and the Stunts, 
the requirements will be stated and should be clearly 
understood before the Pentathlon is conducted. 



206 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

In regard to the other events, the records which are 
considered very high are given here. Every girl is 
to attempt to reach as nearly as possible these per- 
formances : — 

Standing Broad Jump ... 5 ft. 8 inches 

Fifty Yard Dash 7 seconds 

"^ Basket Ball Throw .... 55 feet 

( Baseball Throw 95 feet 

Dash and Throw . . . . . 19 seconds 

Pentathlon 1. The Pentathlon is open only to girls 

tw es ^j^ ^-j^g seventh and eighth grades. 

2. Any girl who is a member of a corrective gymnas- 
tic class is not eligible unless she has a permit to enter. 
Appointments for examination on Tuesday from 3 : 30- 
4 : 30 may be made through the corrective teacher. 
This rule applies only to the following schools : — 

Bishop Lincoln McGraw 

Higgins Logan Van Dyke 

3. As the word ^^ Pentathlon" implies, this is a test 
in five athletic events. Every girl must be partic- 
ularly proficient in five events. 

One event, Deep Knee Bending, is required. From 
the other five events any four may be chosen. 

4. The athletic events are as follows : — 

1. Deep Knee Bending — Required. 

2. Standing Broad Jump. 



STUNTS ADAPTED FOR GIRLS 207 

3. Fifty Yard Dash. 

4. Basket Ball Throw for Distance. 

5. Baseball Throw for Distance. 

6. Dash and Throw. 

5. It is necessary in order to qualify for the remainder 
of the test; the finals, that a girl shall be able to make 
a record in the endurance event — Deep Knee Bend- 
ing — of at least 30, • 

6. To win a gold medal it is necessary, as far as 
the stunts are concerned, to do 15 stunts ; to win a 
silver medal — 10 ; and to win a bronze medal — 8. 

Choose 4 out of these 5 events. (Stunts and Endur- 
ance test required.) 

For a gold medal 580 points are required. 

For a silver medal 560 points are required. 

For a bronze medal 545 points are required. 

For an arm band 445 points are required. 
The points given for Pentathlon events, as shown 
on page 31, were chosen more or less arbitrarily after 
a study of the results of the regular monthly tests 
in the same events, and with reference to the Girls' 
Branch of the Public Schools' Athletic League and the 
Badge Test of the Playground and Recreation Asso- 
ciation of America. 

It would appear from the results tabulated here 
that the girls are better at running and jumping than 
at ball throwing, where arm movements are required. 



208 



HEALTH BY STUNTS 



PENT. 


iTHLON EVENTS (Tabulate! 


Results) 


Standing Broad 
Jump 


Dash and 
Throw 


Basket Ball 
Throw 


Baseball 
Throw 


50 Yard 
Dash 


Points 


6'-8" 


18 


75 ft. 


115 ft. 


6 


175 


A 

6'-4" 
6'-2" 

B 

6'-0" 
5'-10" 


18-1 

18-2 

18-3 
18-4 


71ft. 
67 ft. 

63 ft. 
59 ft. 


Ill ft. 

107 ft. 

103 ft. 
99 ft. 


6-1 
6-2 

6-3 
6-4 


170 
165 

160 
155 


5'-8" 


19 


55 ft. 


95 ft. 


7 


150 


C 

5'-4" 


19-1 
19-2 
19-3 

19-4 


54 ft. 
53 ft. 

52 ft. 

51 ft. 


93 ft. 
91ft. 
89 ft. 

87 ft. 


7-1 
7-2 
7-3 

7-4 


145 
140 
135 

130 


5'-3" 


20 


50 ft. 


85 ft. 


8 


125 


5'-2i" 
5'-2" 

5'-l 


20-1 
20-2 
20-3 
20-4 


49 ft. 
48 ft. 
47 ft. 
46 ft. 


83 ft. 
81ft. 
79 ft. 
77 ft. 


8-1 
8-2 
8-3 
8-4 


120 
115 
110 
105 


5'-0 


21 


45 ft. 


75 ft. 


9 


100 


4'-lU 
4'-ll 
4'-10i 
4'-10 


21-1 
^21-2 
21-3 
21-4 


44 ft. 
43 ft. 
42 ft. 
41ft. 


73 ft. 
71ft. 
69 ft. 
67 ft. 


9-1 
9-2 
9-3 
9-4 


95 
90 
85 

80 


4'-9 


22 


40 ft. 


65 ft. 


10 


75 


4'-8i 
4'-8 
4'-7i 
4'-7 


22-1 
22-2 
22-3 
22-4 


38 ft. 
36 ft. 
34 ft. 
32 ft. 


63 ft. . 
61 ft. 
59 ft. 
57 ft. 


10-1 
10-2 
10-3 
10-4 


70 
65 
60 
55 


4'-6" 


23 


30 ft. 


55 ft. . 


11 


50 


4'-5" 

4'-4 

4'-3 

4'-2 

4'-l 


23-1 
23-2 
23-3 
23-4 
24 sec. 


29 ft. 
28 ft. 
27 ft. 
26 ft. 
25 ft. 


54 ft. 
53 ft. 
52 ft. 
51 ft. 
50 ft. 


11-1 
11-2 
11-3 
11-4 
12 


45 
40 
35 
30 
25 



City Champion. B — Gold medal girls' average. 

C — City Average (all entrants in finals) . 



STUNTS ADAPTED FOR GIRLS 209 

It will be several years before enough statistics 
will be available to lead to any positive conclusions, 
but there can be no doubt that just such experiments 
and statistics are vitally needed. 

Aside from the question of measurable develop- 
ment it needs but a first-hand acquaintance with the 
work the Detroit girls are doing to confirm the opinion 
that its complete satisfaction to them has a definite 
and very real value. 

Summary of Activities 

Soccer Ball. 

This sport has increased from year to year until in 
1918 and 1919 over 130 teams from as many different 
schools played more than 500 games. The next season 
nearly double this number of teams and games will be 
played. 

Baseball. 

In this sport the same progress has been made. 

Field Meet. 

For the season of 1919 over 6000 contestants were 
entered in this meet. The total time for conducting 
was 2 hours and 14 minutes for preliminaries, and 45 
minutes for finals. In any one event, not more than 8 
contestants compete at one time. 



210 HEALTH BY STUNTS 

Indoor Meet. 

For the 1919 meet more than 3000 boys competed. 

Decathlon. 

For the individual Decathlon and Pentathlon events 
for 1918 and 1919 more than 1200 contestants pre- 
sented themselves. Of this number over 400 won gold, 
silver, and bronze medals. 

School Decathlon. 

Records have been taken of more than 10,000 dif- 
ferent boys during one school year. A large per cent 
of these boys were tested in ten events besides the stunts. 
The records secured in the past few years have passed 
the million mark. From these, records of average 
ability have been secured. 

Demonstrations. 

Besides the major sports, more than 8000 pupils 
have taken part in regular public demonstrations during 
the year ending June, 1919. 

This summary covers only work regularly organized 
and conducted by the Department of Physical Edu- 
cation. These activities are duplicated many times 
over in the intra-school work. 

This summary does not cover formal physical work, 
nor the work done in high schools. 



INDEX 



Activities, 36 

Arm Roll, 128 

Athletics, 47 

Athletic Events, 36, 51, 191, 192 

Back Foot Flip, 130 
Back Hold, 146 
Back Spring, 119 
Back Straddle, 123 
Back Toss, 133 
Backward Bend, 116 
Backward Dash, 58 
Backward Jump, 78 
Backward Roll, 104 
Badger Pull, 152 
Baseball-Accuracy, 70-72 
Baseball-Distance, 70-71 
Basket Ball-Accuracy, 70-72 
Basket Ball-Distance, 70-72 
Basis, Public School, 28 
Bear Dance, 102 . . ^-«» 
Bend Fingers, 152 
Bobbin Ahead, 129 
Bobbin Back, 124 
Body Bounce, 103 
Body Reach, 110 ' - 
Boxing, 148 

Gloves, 148 

Hats, 149 

Open Hands, 149 

Fencing, 149 
Boys, Types, 20, 21 
Broad Jump, 65 
Bull Neck, 117 

Calendar, Yearly, 38-39 
Camel Walk, 121 

Captain System, 31, 33, 40, 41, 48, 
49. 50. 190 



Carrying Wounded, 125 
Cart Wheel, 108 

Double, 137 
Catch as Catch Can, 144 
Centipede, 127 
Chair Creeper, 104 
Chair Stand, 102, 111, 112 
Chest Dive, 117 
Chicken Fight, 151 
Chinning, 61, 158 
Classification, 36 
Climbing, 51, 60, 61 
Clock, Official, 177 
Cock Fight, 150 

Combination Pass Ball, 192, 198 
Combination Stunts, 118-139 
Conditions, Existing School, 13 
Contests, 148 
Boxing, 148 
Miscellaneous, 149 

Badger Pull, 152 

Bend Fingers, 152 

Chicken Fight, 151 

Cock Fight, 147 

Horse Fight, 153 

Neck Pull, 153 

Pull Fingers, 152 

Pull Stick, 151 

Rooster Fight, 150 

Stick Wrestle, 154 

Tug of War, 154 

Twiat Stick, 151 
Necessity of, 141 
Wrestling, 144 
Corkscrew, 99 
Crab Walk, 96 
Crane Dive, 103 



Dash, 56 

Backward, 58 



211 



212 



INDEX 



Dash — Continued 

Dash and Throw, 192 

Hundred Yard, 54-57 
Decathlon, 31, 155-165, 210 

Card, 166, 167 

Contest, 155 

Medals, 157 

Points, 163 

School, 31, 210 

Tests, 158 

Records, 168 
Deep Knee Bend, 192 
Demonstrations, 47, 138-140, 210 
Discus Throw, 70-76 
Distance Dive, 108 
Diving Hand Spring, 135 
Dog Run, 95 
Double Cart Wheel, 137 
Double Stand, 134 
Drill, Competitive, 46 

Elbow Roll, 128 
Elephant Walk, 120 
Eskimo Roll, 127 
Expansion, 84 

Arm, 84 

Chest, 84 

Field Day, 47 
Field Meet, 176 
Fifty Yard Dash, 192 
Finger Jump, 112 
Fish Flop, 111 
Fish Hawk Dive, 96 
Floor Dip, 81, 160 
Flopper, 124 
Flying Somersault, 137 
Football Kick, 79 
Football Throw, 70, 72 
Forward Fall, 99 
Forward Roll, 93 . - ^- 
Friendship Spring, 136 
Frog Dance, 100, 102 
Front Foot Flip, 130 
Front Straddle, 123 
Front Throw, 70, 74 
Front Toss, 132 



O 



Games, 39 

Game Tournament, 191, 192-204 

Giant Roll, 133 

Girls' Athletics, 182 

Gorilla Swing, 110 

Grip, 160 

Hammer Throw, 70, 76 

Hand Balance, 113 .--vV^-^ 

Hand Flip, 134 

Hand Jump, 121 

Hand Spring, 113 

Hand Stand Dip, 110 .>V"^ 

Hand Walk, 115 

Head Spring, 115 

Head Stand, 106 

Heel Jump, 116 

Heel Knock, 98 

High Dive, 107 

High Jump, 65, 69 

High Kick, 77, 78 ^•^- 

Hitch Kick, 96 

Hop, Step, and Jump, 66, 67 

Horse Fight, 153 

Human Arch, 133 

Human Ball, 94 O 

Human Bridge, 121 

Human Knot, 105 

Human Rocker, 104 -V^ 

Human Teeter, 136 

Human Wheel, 103 

Human Wicket, 93 

Hurdles, 54, 58 

Indian Wrestle, 147 
Individual Stunts, 92-118 
Indoor Baseball, 70 
Indoor Meet, 176, 210 
Insignia, 179 
Introduction, ix 
Introduction of Stunts, 91 

Javelin Throw, 70, 76 
Jump Foot, 99 
Jump Stick, 106 
Jumping, 51, 62-69 
Backward, 78 



INDEX 



213 



■Jumping — Continued 
Broad, 65 

Running, 65 

Standing, 65 
High, 65 

Running, 65 

Standing, 69 
Hop, Step, and Jump, 67 

Running, 67 

Standing, 66 
Measuring, 63 
Methods of, 63 
Place, 63 
Pole Vault, 64 
Three Hops, 68 
Three Jumps, 88 
Jumping Jack, 105 
Jumping Wheelbarrow, 118 

Keg Kick, 102 
Kelly Slide, 109 
Kicking, 51, 77-79 
High (1), 77 
High (2), 78 
High (3), 78 
1- High (4), 78 
; High (5), 78 
t Football-Accuracy, 79 
[ Football-Distance, 79 
f Knee Dip, 96 
\ Knee Spring, 123 

Knee Stand Balance, 130 

t Lungs, Capacity, 83, 160 
Meets, 175 
Clock, Official, 177 
1 Field, 176 

Indoor, 176, 210 
Insignia, 179 
Outdoor, 177 
Program for, 178 
Sign Boards, 179 
Track, 176 
Trophies, 179 
Merry-go-round, 117 
lilitary Training, 45, 46 
Mule Kick, 97 



Neck Flop, 133 
Neck Pull, 158 
Neck Spring, 100 

Officers' School, 45 

One Hand Dip, 112 

One Hundred Yard Dash, 54, 57 

Organization, 26 

Outdoor Meet, 177 

Overhead Shot, 70, 74 

Palm Spring, 95 
Pentathlon, 191, 204 
Physical Conditions, 10-25 
Plumb Line Test, 97 
Point Table, 163 
Pole Vault," 64 
Post Ball, 192, 196 
Posture Test, 93 
Potato Race, 54, 59 
Preparedness, 161 
Program, Official, 178, 180 
Pull Fingers, 152 
Pull Stick, 151 
Pyramids, 135 

Races, 54 

Potato, 54, 59 

Sack, 54, 59 

Three-Legged, 54, 58 
Record Sheet, 34, 35 
Relay, 54, 57, 58 
Reports, 42 
Rocking Horse, 132 
Rooster Fight, 150 
Running, 51, 53-60 

Backward Dash, 58 

Hurdles, 54, 58 

One Hundred Yard Dash, 54, 57 

Potato Race, 54, 59 

Relay, 54, 57, 58 

Sack Race, 54, 59 

Soccer Dribble, 54, 59 

Three-Legged Race, 54, 58 

Sack of Wheat, 124 
Sack Race, 54, 59 



214 



INDEX 



Scholarship, 161 

Set Pegs, 83 

Shot Pitch, 70, 75 

Shot Put, 73 

Shoulder Dive, 134 

Shoulder Jump, 134 

Shoulder Shot, 85 

Shoulder Spring, 115 

Shoulder Stand, 129 

Shouldering, 130 

Side Hold, 145 

Single Squat, 99 '-^ ^ 

Sit Up, 82, 159 

Skating, 81 

Soccer, 173 

Soccer Dribble, 54, 59 

Solid Ivory, 95 

Somersault, 98 

Sports, 170 
Major, 170 
Teams, 170 

Square Hold, 145 

Stick Wrestle, 154 . 

Stiff, 121 

Stiff Leg Bend, 103 

Straddle Jump, 125 

Stump Walk, 94 

Stunts, 34, 88 

Adaptability, 90, 182 
Arm Roll, 128 
Back Foot Flip, 130 
Back Spring, 119 
Back Straddle, 124 
Back Toss, 133 
Backward Bend, 116 
Backward Roll, 104 
Bear Dance, 102 
Bobbin Ahead, 129 
Bobbin Back, 124 
Body Bounce, 103 
Body Reach, 110 
Bull Neck, 117 
Camel Walk, 121 
Carrying Wounded, 125 
Cart Wheel, 108 

Double, 137 
Centipede, 127 



Stunts — Continued 
Chair Creeper, 104 
Chair Stand, 102 

Left Arm, 112 

Right Arm, 111 
Chest Dive, 117 
Combination, 118-139 
Corkscrew, 99 
Crab Walk, 96 
Crane Dive, 103 
Distance Dive, 108 
Diving Hand Spring, 135 
Dog Run, 95 
Double Cart Wheel, 137 
Double Stand, 134 
Elbow Roll, 128 
Elephant Walk, 120 
Eskimo Roll, 127 

Backward, 128 
Finger Jiunp, 112 
Fish Flop, 111 
Fish Hawk Dive, 96 
Flopper, 124 
Flying Somersault, 137 
Forward Fall, 99 
Forward Roll, 93 
Friendship Spring, 136 
Frog Dance, 100, 102 
Front Foot Flip, 130 
Front Straddle, 123 
Front Toss, 132 
Giant Roll, 133 
Girls' Stunts, 182 
Gorilla Swing, 116 
Hand Balance, 113 
Hand Flip, 134 
Hand Jump, 121 
Hand Spring, 113 
Hand Stand Dip, 110 
Hand Walk, 115 
Head Spring, 115 
Head Stand, 106 
Heel Jump, 116 
Heel Knock, 98 
High Dive, 107 
Hitch Kick, 96 
Human Arch, 133 



INDEX 



215 



Stunts — Continued 
Human Ball, 94 
Human Bridge, 121 
Human Knot, 105 
Human Rocker, 104 
Human Teeter, 136 
Human Wheel, 103 
Human Wicket, 93 
Individual, 92-118 
Introduction of, 91 
Jump Foot, 99 
Jump Stick, 106 
Jumping Jack, 105 
Jumping Wheelbarrow, 118 
Keg Kick, 102 
Kelly Slide, 109 
Knee Dip, 96 
Knee Spring, 123 
Knee Stand Balance, 130 
Merry-go-round, 117 
Mule Kick, 97 
Neck Flop, 133 
Neck Spring, 100 
One Hand Dip, 112 
Palm Spring, 95 ' 
Plumb Line Test, 97 
Pyramids, 135 
Rocking Horse, 132 
Sack of Wheat, 124 
Shoulder Dive, 134 
Shoulder Jump, 134 
Shoulder Spring, 115 
Shoulder Stand, 129 
Shouldering, 130 
Single Squat, 99 
Solid Ivory, 95 
Somersault, 98 

Backward, 98 

Flying, 137 
Stiff, 121 

Stiff Leg Bend, 103 
Stomach Foot Flip, 130 
Straddle Jump, 125 
Stump Walk, 94 
Tandem, 120 
Through Stick, 98 
Tip Up, 100 



Stunts — Continued 

Toe Jump, 111 

Top, the, 95 

Triple Dive, 131 

Triple Roll, 137 

Tuff, 119 

Twister, 122 

Two Hand Dip, 111 

Under Stick, 109 

Wall Scaling, 124 

Wheelbarrow, 118 
Jumping, 118 

Wicket, Human, 93 

Wicket Walk, 93 

Windmill, 131 
Stunt Speed Series, 192, 200 
Stunt Tests, 161, 191, 202 
Summary of Activities, 209 
Summary Sheet, 42 
Swimming, 79, 80, 81 

Table of Contents, xi 

Tandem, 120 

Teams, 170 

Tests, 158 

Chinning, 158 
Floor Dip, 160 
Grip and Lung, 160 
Preparedness, 161 
Scholarship, 161 
Sit Up, 159, 82 
Stunt, 161 

Three Hops, 68 

Three Jumps, 68 

Three-Legged Race, 54, 58 

Through Stick, 98 

Throwing, 51, 69 

Throwing Events, 69 

Baseball-Accuracy, 70, 72 
Baseball-Distance, 70, 71 
Basket Ball-Accuracy, 70, 72 
Basket Ball-Distance, 70, 72 
Conducting, 71 
Discus Throw, 70, 76 
Football-Accuracy, 70, 72 
Football-Distance, 70, 72 
Front Throw, 70, 74 



216 



INDEX 



Throwing Events — Continued 
Hammer Throw, 70, 76 
Indoor Baseball-Accuracy, 70 
Indoor Baseball-Distance, 70 
Javelin Throw, 70, 76 
Measuring, 71 
Overhead Shot, 70, 74 
Place, 70 
Shot Flip, 75 
Shot Pitch, 70, 75 
Shot Put, 70, 73 
Under Shot, 75 

Timing, 55, 57 

Tip Up, 100 

Toe Jump, 111 

Top, The, 95 

Track Meet, 176 

Triple Dive, 131 

Triple Roll, 137 . - 

Trophies, 118 

Tuff, 119 

Tug of War, 154 

Twist Stick, 151 

Twister, 122 

Two Hand Dip, 111 

Unclassified, 51 

Chest Expansion, 84 
Floor Dip, 81, 160 
Grip Stone, 86 



Unclassified — Continued 

Lungs, 83, 160 

Set Pegs, 83 

Shovdder Shot, 85 

Sit Up, 82, 159 

Skating, 81 

Swimming, 79-81 

Weight, 85 
Pu.t Up, 85 
Hold Out, 86 
Under Shot, 75 
Under Stick, 109 



Wall Scaling, 124 
Weight, 85 
Wheelbarrow, 118 
Wicket, Human, 93 
Wicket Walk, 93 -vv^\ 
Windmill, 131 
Wrestling, 146 

Back Hold, 146 

Catch as Catch Can, 144 

Elbow, 147 

Hand, 146 

Indian, 147 

Side Hold, 145 

Square Hold, 145 

Zigzag Ball, 192, 194 



AD 3 8 



Printed in the United States of America. 



